Homeless people help?

[GrumpyGregry]

The message from agencies is clear, dont give to beggars, they are not saying that just to keep people out of the city centre.They are saying it because it doesnt help the person.
If people want to do things to help the homeless then people can campaign, join the Labour party, volunteer, etc and donate to homeless agencies money/clothes and food.

Would these be the same agencies that routinely refer rough sleepers to immigration enforcement teams for deportation? The same homeless agencies that are largely funded by government so can scarcely be relied upon to provide unbiased dispassionate advice and have a vested interest in helping the Home Office deport the vulnerable? Those agencies?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Don't be too kind to me, I did it mainly to show that the "give them more" brigade really do not have the first idea. I do wish I knew what the solution is, but, after 27 year years of dealing with 'the problem", plus a bit of time as a volunteer in this area, I have to admit, I don't!

So in the absence of any alternative it could be argued the "give them more" brigade are at least doing something even if that action can be shown, in some individual cases, to be counter-productive or unproductive.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

This is beyond parody...

 

[Saluki]

We have a thing at work where we can donate clothes, sleeping bags, toiletries etc. I tend to take in sanitary products every couple of weeks as it’s something that often gets overlooked. It goes to the Let Them Eat Cake charity in lincoln

 

[User32269]

One of my favourite things was taking volunteers out on a nightly soup run organised by a shelter I used to work for. We would go around central London giving out hot drinks, soup and donated food. Our biggest donor was Pret a Manger, and when you offered a rough sleeper a balsamic drizzled organic avocado & sun ripened pomegranate wrap, they would often looked a bit puzzled and ask, "don't you have ham or cheese mate?"
Quite a lot of the new volunteers would be a bit disgusted by this, claiming that people couldn't be in that much need if they were fussy.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

One of my favourite things was taking volunteers out on a nightly soup run organised by a shelter I used to work for. We would go around central London giving out hot drinks, soup and donated food. Our biggest donor was Pret a Manger, and when you offered a rough sleeper a balsamic drizzled organic avocado & sun ripened pomegranate wrap, they would often looked a bit puzzled and ask, "don't you have ham or cheese mate?"
Quite a lot of the new volunteers would be a bit disgusted by this, claiming that people couldn't be in that much need if they were fussy.

The "they should be grateful" brigade. Much loved in my old job when they insisted that the poor of the developing world should be bluddy grateful for the free Dame Edna style spectacles they'd just donated, but would not be seen dead in themselves any more.

 

[theclaud]

People get 'beaten to death' when they're just walking along minding their own business. Or are you saying his begging caused his death?

Indeed. If anecdote is anything to do by, minding your own business is about the most risky thing you can do.