Post by Max on Oct 1, 2020 17:40:36 GMT
This isn’t about why people genuinely end up living ‘rough’ or ‘on the street’. The reasons are many and often far too complicated for 500 words.
The issue about homeless people that concerns me is the age old question mark about whether they are genuine or not. There are simply too many stories relating to homeless people that damages the genuine ones.
How often we have heard stories where the ‘beggars’ get up at the end of the day, walk a few streets to their cars and then drive to their cosy suburban home and return the following morning.
Many express genuine concerns about giving cash because it will be spent on cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. Nobody wants to think their act of kindness which they see as a positive gesture ends up being turned into a negative waste. We all work hard for an honest day’s pay and often to earn our own money we have stress, pressure and hassle in our jobs. The money IS precious to us so to hand some over that’s hard earned might as well be kept if it’s going to be wasted.
Further reasons for peoples reluctance is some are known criminals, who have been in prison for unpleasant and anti-social behaviour. Town centres often experience shouting and fighting between these folks that ends up with the police arriving and innocent passing shoppers and their kids exposed to some pretty unpleasant things.
Another problem currently facing homeless people is food banks. A work colleague goes every week and helps himself to as much as he can get and yet he is not on minimum wage, he owns two properties outright, gets a rental income of the second one in cash that he doesn’t even declare.
I was under the impression food banks were run by issuing vouchers to the genuinely needy but it seems I and many of us were very much mistaken. Eligibility for using food banks appears to not be tested for any kind of criteria so anyone bold and brazen enough can walk in and help themselves to donations providing they don’t have a conscience. This discovery has certainly put many of us off ever donating again whilst the system is run in this way.
I recently saw a segment on BBC Breakfast about www.billychip.com this seems to be a good, positive concept based mainly around the Bristol area but I think it has the ideology and spirit to become far more national. Its basic concept would alleviate some, not all of the doubts and reservations people have about giving.
Anyway when you look at it there really is a long list of reasons not to give based on all the above instances. Clearly the genuine people who really need the kindness of strangers have been put in a detrimental position by those as described above, the non-genuine have sadly ingrained all these reasons which sadly discourage people from helping the genuine needy.
The issue about homeless people that concerns me is the age old question mark about whether they are genuine or not. There are simply too many stories relating to homeless people that damages the genuine ones.
How often we have heard stories where the ‘beggars’ get up at the end of the day, walk a few streets to their cars and then drive to their cosy suburban home and return the following morning.
Many express genuine concerns about giving cash because it will be spent on cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. Nobody wants to think their act of kindness which they see as a positive gesture ends up being turned into a negative waste. We all work hard for an honest day’s pay and often to earn our own money we have stress, pressure and hassle in our jobs. The money IS precious to us so to hand some over that’s hard earned might as well be kept if it’s going to be wasted.
Further reasons for peoples reluctance is some are known criminals, who have been in prison for unpleasant and anti-social behaviour. Town centres often experience shouting and fighting between these folks that ends up with the police arriving and innocent passing shoppers and their kids exposed to some pretty unpleasant things.
Another problem currently facing homeless people is food banks. A work colleague goes every week and helps himself to as much as he can get and yet he is not on minimum wage, he owns two properties outright, gets a rental income of the second one in cash that he doesn’t even declare.
I was under the impression food banks were run by issuing vouchers to the genuinely needy but it seems I and many of us were very much mistaken. Eligibility for using food banks appears to not be tested for any kind of criteria so anyone bold and brazen enough can walk in and help themselves to donations providing they don’t have a conscience. This discovery has certainly put many of us off ever donating again whilst the system is run in this way.
I recently saw a segment on BBC Breakfast about www.billychip.com this seems to be a good, positive concept based mainly around the Bristol area but I think it has the ideology and spirit to become far more national. Its basic concept would alleviate some, not all of the doubts and reservations people have about giving.
Anyway when you look at it there really is a long list of reasons not to give based on all the above instances. Clearly the genuine people who really need the kindness of strangers have been put in a detrimental position by those as described above, the non-genuine have sadly ingrained all these reasons which sadly discourage people from helping the genuine needy.