I hope I did not sound too insensitive....if so please let me know...

Do not fold to pressure if you have a good reason to stand your ground. If homeless people are bumming money for their next bottle, let them bum it elsewhere! I personally refuse to enable anyone period to imbide in the very thing that is creating their problem! Just my 2 cents....T-Bill

If you have it to give; give it.

You can only keep what you give away, dear....

We reap what we sow.

Darrell

Maybe you are right Darrell, or I have thought of buying them some food too...or getting food or coffee for them....I dont know...there is that part or me that feels really bad....

This one night when my nieces where staying with me, she came up the door bawling her eyes out!!! I asked her what was wrong, she was crying to hard to tell me.....my sister told me they saw a homeless man sleeping outside by the church, (it was a cold night), my little niece was crying for him...It broke my heart....

Carry these little tiny Bibles. Hand one to them and point to the nearest Salvation Army.

Guru

carry a few breakfast bars...they're hungry

Oh the breakfast bars is a great idea....

....I definitely could have gone without seeing your new avatar,Ashley!

This is always a dilema for me, but I dont give money. My reason being that it will probably go on the next bottle or fix, and that is enabling. Food is the best idea, mind you I have done that in the past and received a tirade of abuse.Every now and then if I feel it is safe I will stop and talk, you never know
if you can plant the seed of recovery, but as I say. Only if it is safe.

Hey Ashley, this is a really hard situation isn't it? My practice is NOT to give money but I sometimes offer to buy the person some food instead (obviously only if it is safe to do so - not in some dark car-park!)

When I was in treatment we were all out one day and a street drinker, who looked like he had the shakes asked for some money. I didn't give any, but one of us did saying that he actually NEEDED a drink and she knew how that felt. There followed a heated discussion about the ethics of giving or not.

If you feel like you want to help people like that but don't want to give money, you could always volunteer at a shelter for homeless people, or if you go to AA meetings, check out if the group goes and carries the message in any wind-up joints. Time given is often more valuable than the quick fix of giving money to salve our conscience!

(No, you didn't sound too insensitive!)

food or little bibles are the best or if you choose aa brocheres..i dealt with that around the local food store where i live and i knew some of them from the neighborhood and yes what they realy needed was a drink..i've been there too but they need a drink everyday..i won't give money anymore..i don't want to be responsible for they're drinking and evenualy dying..if they realy want help..there are local detoxes and hospitals...don't feel bad ashley..

covering eyes

I agreee with the breakfast bar idea.

I don't know if there are any right or wrong answers. Homelessness is a hard thing for anyone that has never been there to understand.
Many are mentally ill. Many are alcoholics and drug addicts. Many are both.

Working in a 12-Step Club, the winter months would bring in many homeless that just wanted a warm, safe place to sit.

There was one indian man that came in frequently alway insanely drunk. I tried to feed him as he couldn't hold the fork himself...it was a sad sight as the egg dripped down his chin.

Another man, Chris who once owned his own home had lived on the streets going on 10 years. His hands were crippled, stunk of urine and butt...I always wondered why or how he could survive.

What do these people need? A drink, A fix, A meal or just someone to show that they care. When I hand someone a $5.00 bill it may go to getting a bottle or maybe a meal or maybe it will simply give a little hope to someone who has none. I believe these people are living moment to moment cuz there isn't anything else.

Give...don't give...follow your heart
Ree

Tough call. I guess, giving money is safer than giving food, unless you set out of home with that purpose in mind and with the food ready to be handed out. They will surely drink or smoke any money you give them.

I don't think you are being insensitive... Many homeless people have mental illness or have been taken over by alcoholism or drugs.There aren't many shelters for them to go to. As a matter of fact, many hospitals dump them outside back on the streets. I'm sure there are some capable beggars who take advantage though. I listen to the Holy Spirit and my instincts as to give or not.