Tired of the performative beggars and alcoholics this time of year

There are always beggars outside the bakery. There is also sometimes a pile of discarded pies on the next alleyway over, and pigeons congregate every day as though it were Trafalgar Square. Such a waste.

Don’t care if they are ex-services - if they served their time or were invalided out they have a pension, and they all walk past RBL to get to the best spots. I donate to local support charities but never give them money.

None of the “homeless” beggars in the town I work in are actually homeless. They all have flats, most of them have cars. It’s a job to them.

I don’t engage with them.

Addicts and alcoholic’s are clearly suffering. I don’t think there is a single person in the world, who when growing up, thinks, when I’m older I want to be a drug addict or alcoholic and live on the street.

For whatever reason, life has lead them down that dark, harrowing place. The way the op has written, is a worrying example of a lack of compassion and understanding that quite a few people have.

I think a lot of people give cash to beggars to assuade their own discomfort and guilt rather then because they think a few quid will help turn their life around! Surely most people aren't that naive anymore?

I agree with the general message of the op (if not the tone). Until recently one of my neighbours was one of these beggars (the house was sold). He lived in a multiple occupancy house probably not very nice but a decently kept house in a nice neighbourhood. He had a very beautiful distinctive dog so I was surprised to see him in the town center with a 'hungry and homeless' sign trying to raise £12 for a hostel room.

I have no doubt that his life isn't particularity nice and he could likely do with support but that doesn't mean that he isn't lying to passersby and people should be aware that their money might not be used for the claimed use.

There's a strange competition that happens in my town (posh educated area) where the beggers take on the latest fad to get more interest. Box fort, dog, badly spelt sign. This fads spreads around to all the beggars before the next one appears to try to differentiate themselves from the others (not saying this is a bad thing just that there's obviously this underlying competing for attention).

One guy is very successful and sits quietly on his sleeping bag, no sign or dog. Just sits there all day reading a series of dog-eared novels. He stands out. I've literally heard passing people express that 'he not like the others'. He gets a lot of people sitting and talking to him. No idea if he's genuine or just great at marketing. Either way I don't think that giving cash will help either way to I don't.

I've worked with the homeless for 15 years and my advice is never give money to street beggars, in cities many are trafficked and have to give their money to their gang master.

Give to genuine local charities or if you know them to be genuine , eg the guy outside my Sainsbury's, i brought him dog food, homemade cake, and always had leaflets of where food and support is daily across the city, including the project I ran until 2020. Over the years I did get to know him and through a friend I know following good addiction support during the pandemic he now has a flat and a job working for M&S in their distribution centre, yes oddly the pandemic did help some of the long term homeless to get the help they needed!.

I have volunteered at a charity for many years that provides meals for whoever wants them. It's fascinating who uses the services.

I'd never give to someone in the street. I don't understand why people would. It encourages scammers and exploitation of vulnerable people. I also think it makes areas less safe.

Yanbu...I see all the virtue signallers are out.

We have a few outside our local supermarket.... asking for money. They are drug addicts....sorry but i struggle to feel sorry for grown men who've made a bad choice....and I also want to be able to go about my business in peace.

And yes I am also aware that there are lots of awful situations and things which are beyond their control

This. No one whose life is going well would choose to live like that. There are obviously a myriad of reasons that people end up in these situations, including people with MH problems, addiction, homelessness, people who have been horribly abused, people who have been exploited etc.

They are, in the main addicts. Most not homeless. I feel sorry for them and am pleasant but I don’t give them money.

I’ve also used our streetlink service in Brum that allows you to report people sleeping rough and outreach workers will go out to them- offer food, advice and help finding accommodation. Sometimes you get an update and half the time the person has refused the help.

Yes actually I heard Andy Burnham talking about how he deals with homeless in Manchester and it's excellent. The places for people to go to for food and shelter and showers and to receive medical treatment. Andy wants people to contribute to that fund not to people personally.

We get a lot of drug addicts, but also large numbers of Roma women begging. They usually have babies with them, who seem well wrapped up, but it can't be good. I do feel awful when they point at the baby and ask for money.
Like pp I decided to give to the Salvation Army, who do amazing work, but so many slip through the net.

Some people are professional beggars, and yes it's a problem. But the "genuinely homeless" aren't picturesque and include in their number many addicts, people with mental health conditions and personality disorders.

I get why everyone’s having a go at the OP, but it’s true that there are people who are truly homeless for all sorts of reasons, there are gangs which are basically people trafficking as they force people to work begging, and there are gangs of individuals who are not being trafficked but just find it quite lucrative. You can acknowledge the last exist without taking away from the former.

Our town has a big shopping centre so they target people who do not live locally. If you live locally you’ve seen them being dropped off by car. There are several performative sets around the parking areas, sleeping bags, cardboard etc. They literally work shifts, the car turns up, the guy sitting down gets in the car and a new guy gets out to start his shift. Very different to the genuinely homeless and street sleeping population (which is sadly growing). I give to the reputable local charities who work hard to support homeless people and get them off the streets if they can.

The people who are begging locally to me are not alcoholics or drug addicts, they are Roma who may or may not be part of organised gangs or whatever, which is an even better reason not to fund them.

There’s a man on my local high street constantly begging. We see him at least once a week. I always tell him I have no cash-as I don’t because I pay on my card.
He then proceeds to insult you or tell you he hopes you’re never homeless because you’ve actually responded.
once I offered to get him a drink or food but no he just wants cash.

in the city centre of Birmingham- if you go by the coach station the aggressive begging is constant.

Omg.
I didn't realise it was possible to have both one's empathy and compassion genes removed. NHS or private?

In my area they are not all genuinely homeless they actually do have a flat they just have a heavy addiction that benefits don't cover and this time of year is a party time for them

In one group there is one who is on pip and has a motability car this year it causes great resentment that him and his pissed up friends are driving around in a 24 plate when the people giving them money can barely afford the bus this all came to a head when they had this car blocking the road so they could take it in turns to pee in a scant bush causing chaos he has been forced to beg in another town now

In another group there is someone who will be found dead soon he does live on the streets but he does have a home he is in crisis and refusing help right now I live in a town with a very generous support system privately run charity plus the usual support he refuses it all nothing can be done about him unless he chooses it unfortunately

We also have a man who will never live in a box again happily has food given to him people sit and chat with him he sleeps somewhere out of town no addiction just mental health issues and won't be "caged"

Ahhh fucking hell. 😂

Our Christmas gift to you shall be the waves of outrage you are so desperately looking for, OP.

Wow, spreading the 'love' at Christmas OP. Do you really think people 'choose' to become drug addicts or alcoholics? I hope this thread will be taken down soon.

I saw the police moving on the performative beggar who sits outside our local Aldi sometimes, calling everyone "darling" and expecting cash. No idea who had complained or whether it was the store staff, but good on them. There is a group of similar beggars, they travel as a group out to our supposedly affluent suburb so on the day you see the guy outside Aldi there will be a woman outside M&S, another woman at the station, someone else outside Costa. Always the same people.

There must be people who give to these beggars though or they wouldn't bother. Despite all the warnings not to, and if you're worried about homelessness or poverty to donate to a food bank or hostel or similar.

Wow! You have a real super power there. The ability to determine those genuinely homeless from the chancers, while managing to sound like the most judgy person on the planet.

We seem to have a team who take turns to sit at ALDIs doorway. I wish they would move them along as it’s a constant thing.

They’re fucking addicts and mentally unwell. I assume you’ve never been unfortunate enough to know someone who was taken that way. Hold up your snobby nose and walk on by. You have no idea how lucky you are.

If only it were that simple.