Homeless man WWYD

[Fizbosshoes]

Its more of a what you would have done as the scenario happened this afternoon.

I was on a work break and had my phone (i dont have applepay or googlepay on my phone) and some cash with me, and was about to go into a shop when I was stopped by a homeless man. He said "excuse me excuse me," and physically blocked my path by moving side to side so i wouldnt walk past, and said he was homeless and needed food and £10 towards a hostel for the night. I pointed to tesco metro, and said what do you want, I'll buy you something. And then he said he didn't want food, he wanted £20 for the hostel. And then pointed to the cash point, and said there's a cash point here.

I told him I'm buying something in the shop, I will give you some change on the way out. I bought what I wanted and I gave him £5 on the way out. He immediately asked had I got any more, and said he needed £20. And then said can I ask you a question, and I said no, and walked away.
I felt bad about it but I also felt pretty intimidated. (He was probably a foot taller than me) I told DH later, and he said he wouldn't have given him anything.

@Hairdyemistake I’m afraid, according to the Police, there are no official door-to-door rehabilitation schemes in the UK. So you’ve also been mugged by a scammer who are usually part of organised gangs. Be careful though because they keep a list of addresses who will give and who have money in the house.

I'm sorry you felt intimidated OP, he may have been trying to pull a fast one but equally he may have just been desperate. I'd have done the same

so, he intimidates 10 women a day into giving him £5. That’s £50. He does this 6-7 days a week. He’s earning £18,000 a year. The equivalent of about a £26k salary. Dont excuse him.

I used to have a friend who was a homeless alcoholic.
He was one of the “brew crew” who sometimes turn up on protest sites, and are more or less tolerated, as they are extra bodies and sometimes make a contribution.
After the protest was done, he moved on, and was helped by some of us to enter a rehabilitation hostel, but it didn’t last, because he wasn't able or motivated to do it.
He also wasn't able to cope with dry hostels, and mostly, not with wet hostels, or much structure at all, he was too far gone and entrenched.

it was tragic, because he was intelligent and very charismatic, at least when sober. He was a demon when drunk and his physical and mental health was going downhill.
He didn't beg much when we knew him, had a brief period selling the Big Issue and used to claim benefits and frequent a Day Centre for homeless people, whose meals and medical care kept him going.
He was getting to the stage when he couldn't digest properly and refused most of the food that people offered him on the street.
(There was a specialist nutritionist who advised the Day Centre on how to ensure alcoholics of that degree were nourished.)
He would get DTs and shakes if he didn’t drink, and at that stage, living like that, I would say there was no reason not to let him spend any money he got on alcohol.
Nothing was going to change, and the choices were between a godawful time and an horrific time.

I moved away and lost touch with most of the people around at the time, and given his age and circumstances, sadly I would be surprised if he was still alive.

It's really hard to handle things like this without feelings.

We used to have homeless men sleeping under the roof of our local public library before Covid. DS was about 6 years old then and asked me why they were spending nights there. I found it's really hard to give a well balanced explanation and I was very wary to leave him wanting to help them in person for all the reasons everyone mentioned in this thread. But truly, it can't be anyone's first choice to live like that. Each must have had a sad story behind.

During Covid, they were probably removed by law enforcement teams who might have sent them to shelters, which obviously they would rather not. They never returned after Covid though, not sure why.

But OP, as others said, as soon as he tried to intimidate, it's the line being drawn. Good reason to not feel guilty and stay away...

Years ago, when on a day trip to London, my 8 year old asked why those people were living in cardboard boxes. Quick as a flash, my husband told her it was because they hadn't bothered to learn their times tables, and that's how you end up if you don't.....

That's a really nasty viewpoint.

Years ago, when on a day trip to London, my 8 year old asked why those people were living in cardboard boxes. Quick as a flash, my husband told her it was because they hadn't bothered to learn their times tables, and that's how you end up if you don't.

God what a dick. Hope he’s an ex husband

Poor kid with a father like that

@Noseyoldcow not only is that nasty and scary to tell a child, it’s completely inaccurate. It’s often mental illness and addiction .

To all those shooting me down - yes it was an insensitive thing to say. But it was ages and ages ago, before the horrible rash of homelessness that we see around us now, and we adults were genuinely shocked, I was scared, and the kids didn't have a clue. Growing up in London, believe it or not, I had never seen homeless people before, or if I had I hadn't been aware of it. We had been worried about my daughter's lack of application at school, and learning her tables was a part of that.

Does it make you feel bette that you actually typed that and hit post?
I mean it was cunty think to say in the first place
bit to come and bother posting it on here makes you look pretty shitty

@Noseyoldcow brave of you to come back, hopefully your husband and daughter have learnt a bit more since then, it's a very complex issue. I've noticed an increase as well since the end of lockdown, near the end of 2021. It's very sad.

Oops. I meant older and wiser.......and today we appreciate the addiction and mental health reasons behind a lot of homelessness. There seems to be an awful lot of it about these days too, way more than previous years.