How do you deal with getting asked for money.

I used to give money to homeless people most of the time, when I carried cash. Had a daft habit of giving them a tenner or so if I was on the drink. Now I rarely do simply as I hardly ever have cash / change on me.

Obviously there are genuine homeless people, although there are many more supported living accommodations than people know about a lot of the homeless people aren’t allowed to stay as they have caused problems at the facilities previously. Unfortunately some of them have severe mental health problems / behaviour issues exasperated by drunk and drugs which means the facilities will not allow them to stay in the interests of the other residents safety.

When I was policing in Bradford City Centre we put a leaflet together which listed various useful numbers and locations for homeless people. One part showed all of the places they could attend to get free food - such as soup kitchens etc. Every day except Sunday they could get 5+ meals a day if they wanted.

I’d say most “beggars” are not homeless people. I’ve arrested 3 “beggars” before, 2 were sound, 1 was a n0b. 2 of them I can remember quite well for different reasons. The first one (who was sound) when we interviewed him totalled up all of his benefits housing benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, PIP etc, whatever he was getting totalled up to just under £2,900 per month (possibly per 4 weeks actually can’t remember) he was open about he would beg each day (obtain between £70 - £150 per day) assist his very expensive drug habit which could be up to £400 per day.?

The one that was a nob was basically saying we were mugs for being police and that he ‘earned’ more than we did (bout £200 per day he reckoned) and he wouldn’t get out of bed for what we earned 😂
 
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Heam44 said:
The one that was a nob was basically saying we were mugs for being police and that he ‘earned’ more than we did (bout £200 per day he reckoned) and he wouldn’t get out of bed for what we earned 😂
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I’m sure he did seem like a nob, but he also sounds pretty hilarious.
 
I never carry cash now - card or phone so I just tell them that. I have in the past offered change etc but not notes.
One of these days we'll have a massive outage of some kind on the web (like the DNS hack years ago) and no-one will be able to pay live - it'll be like the old credit card thing where it is stacked till things come back online then a big batch payment will have to take place.
 
Was down in London last weekend. Went out the hotel for a smoke before bed and had a, clearly mentally ill, most likely homeless woman begging for help. Like has been mentioned I barely ever have cash, I had no idea what to do. It's so easy to say its someone else's problem. It kept me awake for a while, but my options were quite limited ☹️
 
Heam44 said:
I’d say most “beggars” are not homeless people. I’ve arrested 3 “beggars” before, 2 were sound, 1 was a n0b. 2 of them I can remember quite well for different reasons. The first one (who was sound) when we interviewed him totalled up all of his benefits housing benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, PIP etc, whatever he was getting totalled up to just under £2,900 per month (possibly per 4 weeks actually can’t remember) he was open about he would beg each day (obtain between £70 - £150 per day) assist his very expensive drug habit which could be up to £400.

The one that was a nob was basically saying we were mugs for being police and that he ‘earned’ more than we did (bout £200 per day he reckoned) and he wouldn’t get out of bed for what we earned 😂
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I know of a few who leave their houses mid-morning then go to “work”, begging outside Greggs or McDonalds or Costa or wherever.

They all seem to come from Nottingham, no idea why. Overheard in the market square once

Beggar to two lads: “spare any change for a drink please”
One of the lads says no
Beggar: “thanks for F***ing ignoring me”
Lad: “you’ve got a mobile phone you can afford to buy a drink”
Beggar: “what does it matter if I’ve got a F***ing mobile phone”

And then you have the ones who are just trying to get by day to day and don’t even have the confidence to beg or ask for help, poor sods
 
swordtrombonefish said:
I never carry cash now - card or phone so I just tell them that. I have in the past offered change etc but not notes.
One of these days we'll have a massive outage of some kind on the web (like the DNS hack years ago) and no-one will be able to pay live - it'll be like the old credit card thing where it is stacked till things come back online then a big batch payment will have to take place.
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Never mind one of these days.... I'm just reaching the end of a 17 hour overnight train journey from the Arctic Circle to Stockholm. We went to the buffet car after boarding and the card machine is broken. They don't take cash, not that I have any and the only way of paying is Swish, which is a Swedish interbank transfer thing. Fortunately we had already eaten and I had a couple of cans in my bag.
 
A good few years ago I,d taken my new girlfriend to Leeds for a shopping trip. I was approached by a Big Issue seller and asked did I wont a copy I smiled and declined. He then went into a rage and started shouting at me "you a snob mate" no I replied just dont want a copy. I walked into a shop and back out he had waited outside and started with another rant at me this went on for at least 5mins in the middle of Leeds shopping street I still today do not know what crime I had committed so I just ignore anyone that approaches me
 
Blf said:
Long story
Out with son at Leeds Xmas Market. We were stood talking and entertaining our 18 month old granddaughter when a man walked up very quickly and said can you buy me a cuppa and a sandwich. We were a bit taken by surprise and all said no practically together. He walked away and I felt terrible the way I just said no as I usually do try and help out.. He was around 25 scottish and was in a bit of a state.Wearing really scruffy clothes he looked dirty and had a lot of sores on his face . I went after him said sorry and that I would get him a cuppa and a sarny. We were surrounded by food outlets so I moved towards the nearest one.He stopped me saying just give me the money and he would go to McDonald's further into the city centre. I said no I would buy them here as I only had a £20 note. He told me to F off then. I walked back to my family and started talking and he came up behind me asking if he had "made the wrong choice pal" He was getting quite aggressive and I could see my Mrs getting a bit scared. I asked him to leave us alone and he swore again. I told him to go or I would get the police .He said go on then. I was a bit annoyed by then and told him to p off away from us and we moved away. He was just swearing at us as we went.
It all went to rat crap very quickly and its left me feeling a bit annoyed..
How do you respond?
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I don’t think you could have done much more,
I do occasionally buy some hot food and drink for the homeless in Middlesbrough but I normally offer before being asked it has happened when I have been asked for spare change I wouldn’t give money as it’s likely for drugs so I flip it and tell them I have no cash but I could use my card and buy them food and drink I have never had a problem with that offer

It’s funny though because last time I did this was opposite Albert park me and the wife had had lunch I was asked for some change so I give my response and said if he was hungry I would buy him refreshments he said he was starving so I entered the mini market he was sitting outside of while the wife chatted to him ,I bought two sandwiches/wraps and two large drinks give them to him and continued back to the car, we drove past him on our way at back two or three minutes later and we could see the refreshments untouched while he was puffing on a cigarette
The point being you never really know if they are indeed hungry so don’t beat yourself up, oh and by the way we are a hard working couple in our fifties on no more than average wage but I was brought up in South Bank so we had very little and so did my friends but they were all good people who would help me in my time of need so it’s nice to pass a little back from time to time👍
 
Times have definitely changed. I was recently turned down by a homeless guy.

I offered him free alcohol. I walked past him with a fridge pack of 10 Stella. I bust it open and offered him 2 cans. He said 'he'd rather drink p*ss' 😂

They live in a world where free Stella isn't enough lol.
 
Who is a homeless ‘sound’ person, who is a homeless druggy, who is a professional beggar?

What do we do ask for their CV?
I’ve taken a view I’m not capable of judging but do know most on the street aren’t there by choice where I live.

On that basis I help out where I can - usually buying food and drinks. I rarely carry cash these days.
There is a lad I see regularly and he was out on his sleeping bag yesterday morning. I’ve known him over 2 years. Got him a ham sandwich a drink and just spent a couple of mins chatting with him.

The best one was earlier this year - a different lad sat outside Tesco.
Asked him if he was hungry and he said yes, so asked what sandwich he liked.
He pointed down the road to cafe Nero and said they do a really nice Brie and cranberry ciabatta down there…

I promptly went down got It and delivered it …… smiling at his cheek
 
I’m very torn on the subject. For me it stems back to a piece of fiction I read by Stephen King. Subject matter was a middle class guy who went begging everyday on a lucrative corner of New York and made $1000s per week. Police were aware of the scam and turned a blind eye for a slice of commission.
Silly to base my scepticism on an old piece of fiction but as others have alluded to in this thread, not all are homeless.
I’ve kept a keen eye on some of the beggars in large European cities and have seen some travelling ‘home’ after a days work seemingly pretty contented and chatting on mobiles. Saw one old lady in Prague who didn’t seem as incapacitated later in the afternoon and was happily chatting with family members.

Flip side of course are the genuinely needy and people down on their luck. Hard one to differentiate of course.
Even if some are not in as dire straits as first seems, it must be an incredibly awful position to be in to take to begging to top up earnings.
 
Johnny Vincent, you have a good heart.

My Irish father in law (kind of) is a heavy drinker he often gives money to street sleepers and says, “don’t be wasting it on food “

I sometimes give money to beggars and stop for a chat. It does depend a little on my mood and a quick gut reaction to the person. For example I can’t refuse to help an elderly woman.

I was only once given a hostile response, by a young offender who was receiving a service from a team of which I was the senior manager. I was walking back to my car from the building where the service was based with a colleague. We walked past a small group of young men. seeing I was smoking, one of them asked me for a cigarette and I politely said no. He said what if I told you to give me one? I said the answer would still be no and myself and colleague walked on, as we did so I heard him say something derogatory about a pair of bum boy cocksuckers. I stopped and told him asking for a fag was fine, but making more of a threat about it meant he could be charged with aggravated street robbery. I asked him he had just come from the youth offender service and he said he had, I told him I was the manager and asked him for his workers name, which he surprisingly gave me. Next day his worker arranged a meeting between me and the young person to discuss the incident.
 
I worked designing and building a power station in Omdurman near Khartoum, Sudan with regular progress visits over about an 18 month period. We got everything paid for, accommodation, food travel etc, but also a 300 Sudanese Pound per diem allowance. The Sud £ is a soft currency and can only be spent in Sudan, it's difficult to convert to Sterling as it's illegal, corruption is rife. At first I bought gold in the souhk to bring home as presents, but it was impossible to spend that amount every day. The poverty in Khartoum is like I've never seen before with beggars everywhere, living on the streets, some with leprosy, some with kids in tow, and it's heart breaking. Therefore each time, just before I returned home, I gave lots of that spare cash to those street dwellers until I was told to stop. Giving cash to those on the street would go straight to some bloke or other, controlling the beggars, and was advised to give the money to the Red Cross or Red Crescent hospitals as that money would be used to help and benefit many. Was there corruption in the hospitals? Who knows, but felt better hoping it would be properly used? There are no Government Social Security Benefits and aid in Sudan.

#UTB
 
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B-Man said:
You don’t care that you gave someone money to get drugs, thus enabling them to continue on their path? Weird.
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It’s not like an addict will just decide to get clean because someone hasn’t given them a few quid. What if it prevents someone else from being harassed, robbed or burgled when withdrawal takes hold?
 
WJH. said:
You didn't vote Corbyn remember

Corbyns speech if elected was that he would eliminate homelessness

Sorry what's your point?

You're a shy Tory/rejoiner
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Is this necessary? Or have I missed a forum In-joke.
 
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