Tired of the performative beggars and alcoholics this time of year

My point is competitive made up generosity isn't helpful. You don't give as much as you have to every beggar you pass. That's a ridiculous claim and nobody can afford it.
It is also nobody else's fault if a beggar goes on to rob granny. And your claim about charities is bollocks too, there's plenty of good ones about.

@Fluufer as much loose change as I have on me. What point are you trying to make exactly? People saying that giving beggars change keeps them on the street is just beyond ridiculous. It's what people say to justify their tight-fistedness and lack compassion.

The lack of humanity and compassion from the OP is embarrassing. Many alcoholics and drug addicts are the product of the fucking shit care system. They may have been battered, sexually abused, attacked, witnessed domestic violence and then put in care with nothing for them at 16. Mental health issues, drugs, prostitution and prison then a piss covered shitty pavement and a bit of free soup and tarp, if you’re lucky. Why not ask how we fix the damage done from 14 years of Tory austerity and install a positive social care system, jobs, affordable homes.

Not what I said though, is it. I said it’s none of my business what you, or anyone else, thinks best for their own children.

Minding your own business is the polar opposite of extreme really!

As much as you have on you? Every time? Bollocks do you.

@Thethruththewholetruth I am fascinated to know where this huge, fully funded with plentiful trained staff (including mental health) centre for homelessness is. I’ve worked in addictions for several years across major cities in England and Scotland and have yet to come across one like you describe. As an aside, your language is stigmatising and ignorant - the ‘begging homeless’ are people too, how de-humanising.

I am sure you do not have frontline or personal experiences of these services you describe oh so positively. There is a massive problem with gaps in services in the UK as well as chronic underfunding. This means that those living in complex circumstances (e.g. people who are homeless, substance dependent with a history of trauma) are often bounced between mental health, addiction and homelessness services as they tend to be tightly gatekept and only focus on part of the problem. This is a big part of the reason why individuals get stuck being homeless - in my experience, homelessness services do not employ specialist mental health clinicians which is what is often really needed as most people living on the streets are traumatised. There are very, very few psychologists working in these services as the focus tends to be on practical matters such as accommodation. Community mental health teams will not accept referrals for individuals who are substance dependent. Addiction services will not provide in depth psychological therapy until the person is ‘stable’ e.g has a secure tenancy, reduced substance use. This is a real problem, there is a lack of joined up help for people who need a multifaceted approach due to the complexity of their situations and backgrounds.

There really is not a lot of help available, and what is available tends to be woefully underfunded and inadequate.

@Fluufer I give as much as I have on me at the time. Whatever I can.

Wow, Rishi or Suella is that you? These people, for whatever reason, have obviously been failed by society. Nobody would voluntarily sleep on the streets in December, or any time. If you don't like it, don't give to them, simple as that, but to post about how dreadful they are is just disgusting. I hope you learn some compassion and empathy in the very near future.

Do you give a "pitiful" £2 every time you pass a beggar?

Ok then let them sell themselves or Rob an old granny instead of giving them a pitiful £2 when passing. Only a small percentage of that given to charity goes to the individual. You need a reality check..

I get it op it can be similar here. We have a huge donated dedicated centre for the homeless, it houses drug workers, mental health workers, free food donated by local shops and cafes, housing advisors, CAB workers, 10 flats that are given a temporary homes for homeless to get them on their feet, washing facilities, showers too. Do the begging homeless go in there, no do they bollocks, they prefer to sit outside M&S being rude to tourists that don’t want to give them money. No I get no one chooses to be homeless, no one chooses to have mental health issues etc but at some point you have to take responsibility for your life, there are all the amazing services to help them here but they choose not to (here anyway) it’s a choice they are choosing. Lots of people have difficult lives, lots of reasons and excuses as to why someone ended up in the manner they have but where does this end? Just homelessness or do we excuse maybe someone beating the shit out of their wife and kids for example “because they didn’t choose to have poor mental health” or maybe the person who burgled your house, do we let them off too because maybe “they didn’t to be a drug addict” very much doubt it!

Take your frustrations out on your MP, write to them, campaign for better. People are desperate because they live in dire circumstances, have endured horrific trauma and services that could help are chronically underfunded. It is disgraceful that homelessness is still a thing in 2024. This is a government issue - those who are in a position of power to change things.

The homeless prevention and resettlement service that I used to work for has had its funding reduced by more than 70% over the last 6 years.

It's hardly surprising that there are more people sleeping rough if services across the country have been similarly affected.

Giving people money to feed their addiction is not helping them. And you're just funding organised crime.

Give the money to a homeless or mental health charity instead.

This. I want to believe it’s a troll but some of the responses here make me wonder.

Like people who feed the seagulls and the like. Just makes it more of a nuisance for everyone else.

Tis the season to hold the homeless in contempt 😐

Tell you what I do mind.......having my bag slashed whilst stood in a queue for the London Eye because some sneaky fucker thought they were entitled to the contents in it........I mean their only reward would have been a load of capri sun's and a few bags of crisps because my phone etc was in my front coat pocket.

I also mind being harassed when I dare to get money out from a cash machine. I mind lots of things actually.......And all the bleeding heart handwringers in the world won't change that. Compassion soon dries up when you're the mug on the receiving end of this shit and living with the reality of their actions.

@User135644 addiction is an absolute affliction from hell that no one chooses. Think yourself lucky you havent had to experience its horrors

Two tier policing.

@TheThreeCheesesOfTheApocalypse44 reality check for you- firstly- what you 'mind' is really irrelevant so keep it to yourself. No one cares what you 'mind'. It's not important. Second of all, even if you little anecdote about a man getting changed on a train is true, it's one example out weighed by millions of others and it's an extremely unhelpful narrative to be spinning.

Anyone who gives these folk money is a menace.

Donate to charity, don't give it to addicts.

I once saw a guy on the same train as us go into the loo and get changed from normal clothes into ' homeless gear ' then off he trotted to do his work for the day.

I don't mind the people who just sit asking, if people are stupid enough to give them money then that's up to them. But something seriously needs to be done about aggressive buggers who are rife in some areas. It's bloody terrifying coming across someone like that and they get away with it......it also angers me that genuine homeless people are being ignored (( I did used to give many years ago buy don't now )) especially when the weather is crap like it is at the mo.

And I'll probably get pelted with rocks for saying this but people who come from the EU (( Romania especially)) and doss round begging and being a general pain in the arse should be rounded up and sent home. They're a pain in the absolute arse and I for one am sick of playing dodge the pickpocket. Hell we have enough home grown rogues and theives without being a playground for gangs hundreds of miles away too. If they're here to work then that's fine. But those who aren't should be deported and barred from returning.

I do volunteer. At this time of year, we (adults in the family) don’t “do” gifts just a token something for the children. What we do do, is places for Crisis at Christmas. It might be just 2 places. It used to be 4 or 6 but funds are tight.

I also work for a world charity and fundraiser, year round.

@Onand I think you sound very comfortable and I hope it remains so. God forbid, you should need the kindness of strangers.

It’s quite an extreme position IMO to think parents should be able to permanently remove their daughter from education at 11, because they don’t personally believe she needs it.