to give money to these beggars?

[hedgehogsdontbite]

I'm not in the UK. In the last few months we have seen an explosion in beggars from Romania. They sit one on either side of the supermarket entrance. Every supermarket seems to have 2 at the door. It seems very organised to me. I thought you weren't supposed to give money to them because they're being exploited and forced to do this. I have AS so have no idea how to respond to being asked for money so I just keep my head down and completely ignore them. This has never sat well with me because I feel like I'm being rude and rude is bad.

Recently I watched The Romanians Are Coming and I found it really disturbing that these people are living like that. Their desparation was palpable. My DD recently came back from Romania and said she found the people so kind and generous even though they had next to nothing and that she was really shocked by the conditions.

Now I don't know what to do anymore. My heart wants to give them something but I'm worried that this is the wrong thing to do and may make things worse.

WWYD?

I would do what my conscience told me to do.
If you want to give, then do so. If not, don't. Only you can decide.

if you feel you must help - buy them a coffee or a sandwich, something they have to 'use' there and then and can get benefit from

You are not obliged to, and if it makes you feel uncomfortable, then its not rude to ignore them.

However if you do want to give, then thats fine, but dont feel you have to every time.

There are lots of them around my office as well.
Sometimes I go to the park to eat my lunch, which seems to be their gathering point. The 'ring leader' gathers them all together and hands out cards to the kids with their message on ('hungry and homeless', written on a scrap of card, that sort of thing) and points them in the direction they need to go.
Sometimes the kids get sent with clipboards with sheets of paper, in which they ask for sponsorship for an unspecified sports event as well.
The women also get sent off and the men stay their drinks cans.

Later in the afternoon, they meet again and the ringleader gathers in their takings.

They aren't begging. They are being pimped out with someone else taking their money, and their desperation is not at getting money to feed themselves, but to give to someone else higher up their chain.

If you really feel for them, buy them some food. But please don't give them money, because they only hand it over to someone else

That's what I've heard before sparechange and what I worry about. That by giving I'm ensuring they get sent out again tomorrow. I suppose I'm struggling with whether that person in front of me is begging for themself or for someone else. There's no way of knowing :(

Dont give them money and don't buy them non food items. We regularly get calls at work people concerned about the poor man sitting with no shoes on freezing cold. what they don't see is the other one round the corner with the warm jackets and shoes. They work in tandem and swap places. They also sit outside various shops and when people buy things like socks and scarves their side kick is in trying to get refunds.

Some of them are being exploited and some are just con men. Either way if you really want to spend money on them I'd agree with soup coffee or a sandwich

I wouldn't give money to beggars of any nationality. I've got a lot of sympathy for immigrants who come here to work and do the crappiest jobs. I've got none for those who come to beg.

Are they Roma or Romanian? Roma begging tends to be very organised, the people you give money to won't see a penny of it.

I know they're Romanian because my Romanian neighbour gets really angry at them for 'bringing shame on Romania'. I don't know if they're Roma or not. Because of my AS I find it very difficult to distinguish facial features. Everyone looks the same to me.

I wouldn't give money, especially if it seems very organised. Either they are conning or being pushed into it to get someone else money. If anything, I'd give a sandwich or something to eat- if they are genuinely in need then they'll take it, con men won't care, and this way they get something they can use rather then money they'd have to hand over.