So..please tell me what I should actually do when I see someone who appears to be homeless begging?

[FlyingD]

My daughter feels upset about people who are rough sleeping and sees that I don't give money to them all. I explained that I give to food banks to help but she says she can't walk past as she feels so sad for them. What do I tell her? Anyone work with street homeless people?

What is the most helpful thing to do?

I usually buy them a hot drink and food. Or bottles of water. In winter gloves/hats.

A token of food, nutrigrain bar, a hot drink, something like that.

Sometimes though just a "hello, I'm sorry I don't have change" or an acknowledgement of the person. They often feel forgotten, ignored, invisible in society. So simply acknowledgement that they are a human being is nice.

I used to work with the homeless and rough sleepers.

Talk to them.

Put yourself in their shoes - how would you want someone to treat you if you were sleeping rough?

This. If they are genuinely homeless then food and drink (not alcohol of course) will be welcome. But regrettably there are many scam beggars who want money, and in any case, money can do more harm than good.

Be aware that many don't want food. They want money for drink/drugs

The best thing is to give money to charities which help house homeless people or outreach teams who support them.

You could buy food if you really wanted, but the vast majority of people begging are using the money for drugs and alcohol and don’t want food often. The old sob story of needing money for a hostel is the oldest one in the book.

Many people on the street begging already have rooms or homes, but due to addiction still need to beg. It’s a sad story all round unfortunately. I visit a town with a growing street population and they are a complete blight on the community due to antisocial behaviour. Donations to beggars only encourage it.

If you have to buy something, ask them what drink/food they would like from a certain shop.

That way, they can say no, or accept and still feel like they have a choice of what they want to eat or drink.

If they refuse and insist on money, that’s when you walk.

So

”hiya, I’m just going to go into Burger King. Would you like anything?”

”yes please. A burger and a coke would be lovely”

or

“would you mind just getting me a sandwich and water from the shop next door?”

There are some well known in my area as scammers. They have issues with drugs. I don't engage with them. One has attacked people several times

www.newstatesman.com/politics/welfare/2017/10/why-you-should-give-money-directly-and-unconditionally-homeless-people

Ahhh, it's behind a paywall!

Agree with the title though. They're adults, treat them as such.

I would like to read this as I don’t agree with the title. Giving money for drugs just lengthens the cycle IMO. Lining dealers pockets and funding more crime.

From the above article:

Don’t just buy them a sandwich from Pret. They’re not four. They have the right to spend their money as they choose – and it is their money, once given. Don’t just give to people performing, singing, or accompanied by a cute dog. Buskers deserve a wage too, of course. But homeless people are not your dancing monkey and they shouldn’t have to perform to earn your pity.

Don’t second-guess whether people are “really” homeless. Those who think begging is a shortcut to easy money should try humiliating themselves daily in front of thousands of total strangers who won’t even look at them or acknowledge their existence. It is gruelling, soul-destroying work. If people are desperate enough to beg, they need it.

I live opposite a homeless shelter.

People with addictions don't have access to special low prices for their drugs - they pay the same as the rest of us, so think about how much money you need to feed a full blown drug addiction through a combo of begging, stealing and benefits. The addiction needs fixing first

BUT, I will say definitely always acknowledge them and hear what they're asking for. One time a homeless guy was on the pavement for ages in what appeared to be drunken stupor, but he was actually gravely ill and begging people for someone to call an ambulance, with people just saying "no sorry" and walking past.

Also:

Many street beggars are addicts, yes. Do addicts not deserve food? Wouldn’t you want to drink if you were in their position? Don’t you get drunk every weekend to cope with work stress anyway? Who are you to tell them what to do with their bodies?

As the founder of User Voice, a charity led and staffed by former homeless addicts, says: “If your money funds the final hit, accept that the person would rather be dead. If your act of kindness makes him wake up the next morning and decide to change his life, that’s nice but not your business either.”

It's better to donate to a charity who help the homeless IMO.

Previously I have bought Greggs gift cards to give out. This means that I am not fumbling around for my purse (which often contains no actual cash), you can give a fairly small amount, it can only be spent on food or drink (but they get to choose what) and it is for somewhere that is quite cheap. They often have seating in them as well now so the person can use them when it is cold/rainy to get out of the elements.

Shelter, homeless charities and the police have ALL said do not give money to anyone begging. Some are genuinely homeless but there are many who make a career out of it, it can be very lucrative. Give your money directly to the charities.

Learn where the hostels and soup kitchens etc are located. Then you can tell them where to go if they don't already know.

Ask if they want any particular food/drink as a pp has said. Maybe they are getting too many bottles of water or maybe they dont actually like fruit or cheese sandwiches. Just because they are hungry shouldn't mean they have to eat the equivalent (possibly) of Brussels sprouts and parsnips. Or maybe they just want a pair of dry socks.

I watched the chaplain from DS’s school give sandwiches, fruit, chocolate and hot drinks to two beggars in their regular spot one day as I passed by. I went back that way ten mins later to see the whole lot just thrown in a corner and left.

What you can also do is check your council’s website for how to report someone rough sleeping so they can visit them and offer support. For example homeless people can claim benefits and they can support with that, or with accessing accommodation or other services.

I used to work for a homeless charity.

The majority of the people we supported had access to benefits and we found them temporary and hopefully permanent accommodation.

Many of our clients were still begging in the street to feed their alcohol and drug addiction.

So I would say donate to homeless charities (the ones that actually run hostels and do street work, not the ones that just do fancy campaigning) or to food banks/soup kitchen.

I'd probably resort to alcohol or drugs if I was in that situation too...

Check homeless charities in your area and flag any rough sleepers you see to them. Some (not all) have teams of volunteers that will go out to offer help and support.

Don't conflate begging with homelessness. The significant majority of homeless people in this country are not on the streets. Many of them work. It's a national disgrace that there are so many in employment who can't afford the most basic essentials in life. But most people who are homeless do not beg.

Similarly, don't conflate begging with homelessness. Sadly lots of beggars you'll see, especially in large cities, will usually fall into one of two camps - either trafficked slaves, being forced to "work" to repay their traffickers, or the very unwell (those with addictions or mental illness). In such cases there is often little that can be done - the police are almost always aware of both and social services of the latter, but if there is one person in particular you see regularly and are concerned about, it can't hurt to try to flag them to the council for a welfare check.

It's up to you if you give money or not, but I would generally advise against it as in the case of traffickers you'll only be finding further trafficking, or other crime.

If you can afford to give them some money, do. If you're going in to a shop ask if there's anything you can get them.

In our local town there are vandal proof collection boxes for donations and also QR codes on posters in the shopping centre which you can use to donate to the local charity which helps rough sleepers by providing hot meals, showers, laundry facilities etc. The message is very much one of don't give cash around here.
Is there anything similar in your area that maybe you/your DD could donate through rather than giving directly to those who may or may not be homeless.

My DS used to live in a city where there was a lot of begging. He said he regularly saw large black shiny cars driving around collecting the 'beggars ' in the evenings - although I'm sure many of those being collected were undoubtedly vulnerable at the hand of the owners.