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Originally Posted by willravel
I always give them money. If I don't have cash, I come back with cash. I can't imagine someone who won't give because they assume that someone will spend the money on booze. Just because I live in a million dollar home and drive a car with a turbo doesn't give me the right to pass judgment on people I've never met and who clearly need help.
I found that homeless people are often fascinating people and are in their current condition despite their honest efforts. There's a restaurant around the corner from my work and I often take homeless people to lunch there.
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I'm not passing judgment on panhandlers. I've known a lot of panhandlers in my life, both homeless and non homeless. I've worked with people who considered panhandling a second job and used the profits to get high on the weekends. My uncle is a hobo by choice; he is college educated but likes the "homeless" lifestyle. He often panhandles and I don't really know what he does with the money. My brother often panhandled in the last few years of his life, and he was never homeless for more than a week. He spent his money on beer and smokes. Before he became ill, he would take every panhandler with a sign that said "Will work for food" up on the offer...he'd ask them to come to his house and mow his lawn and he'd fix them a nice lunch. He never had a taker, not once.
If a panhandler wants to get drunk, or get a pack of smokes, or get high with his money, that's fine with me. It's not my place to dictate what people can and can't do with their money. However, it is my place to dictate what I do with MY own money and I usually choose not to give it to others that, from experience and the experiences of others close to me, will likely spend it on something that doesn't help their situation.