Lady begging on the tube

[UsedtobeFeckless]

Please all tell me in shouty capitals how it's a big wrong thing to give to beggers because l'm feeling bad about this.
Sitting on the tube and a lady comes along the carriage asking very quietly and politely for money. Everyone put their heads down and ignored her. I did too. If anyone else had put their hand in their pocket l would have done too but no-one did so l just sat there and l've been beating myself up for it ever since.
What would you have done?

Often give to beggars , don’t care if they spend it on whatever they need

I have it and often it’s the human eye contact and the fact that someone cares that’s also important

I actually want to lump the people who say ‘oh beggars have cars , they earn more than us ‘

Those souls sat shivering on a piece of cardboard outside the tube clearly didn’t chose that

Yes skinny and small but don't remember the hot. Quite old with swollen ankles despite skinniness.

You do know they probably earn more than you and have a nice house as well

I see the same homeless people on my commute . They are cold , shivering and dirty . Their eyes are dead . You go to MacDonald’s and it’s the ONLY place they can get a warm drink and have acess to a toilet

So call me naive but I have a very strong feel that they actually DONT have much money and they certainly don’t have more money than me

The attitudes to beggars depress me

I give to a homeless charity by monthly dd and usually a lump sum donation at Christmas to someone like Crisis. I'd much rather do that than give to individuals. I've seen gangs driving round dropping professional beggars off at their pitch, distributing children to go with them. This was in Brussels rather than London but it completely put me off street donation.

Me and DH sat outside a bar once and watched the professional beggars complete with empty suitcases, contact each other by cell phone and swap places ever so often. A lot of people gave them mcd's as it was near one of their outlets. Someone gave them a bag of fruit. Everything edible was popped into the suitcase.

So many professional beggars near me I prefer to go to the homeless that sit in the library all day never begging and give them small amounts of food/money.

So you go into a library and give food and money to people who are NOT begging, really you think this is appropriate.

I have decided to now only give to charity.

Just before Christmas I stopped to chat with a young homeless man outside Boots. I then went in and bought him some food and gave him a tenner. I kid you not, I saw that bloke shopping for clothes in Primark a few hours later. Not saying he shouldn't but perhaps he should spend that cash on a night in.

I know someone who works in a supermarket and spends the whole day looking at an Eastern European woman selling the Big Issue. She reckons people stop and give her £20 notes at least a few times an hour and offer to buy her food which she seems to have a long list that she picks from. My friend says she absolutely refuses to buy the BI after what she sees.

I know someone who works in a supermarket and spends the whole day looking at an Eastern European woman selling the Big Issue. She reckons people stop and give her £20 notes at least a few times an hour and offer to buy her food which she seems to have a long list that she picks from. My friend says she absolutely refuses to buy the BI after what she sees
Why, what is her problem with this girl earning money. She has had to buy those magazines and makes a pittance on each one, why wouldn’t you give her more money if you had it, she is trying to improve her life and opportunities, your friend is odd.

Just before Christmas I stopped to chat with a young homeless man outside Boots. I then went in and bought him some food and gave him a tenner. I kid you not, I saw that bloke shopping for clothes in Primark a few hours later. Not saying he shouldn't but perhaps he should spend that cash on a night in
Instead of a jumper to keep him warmer for MANY nights.

My friend isn't odd. She earns just above minimum wage in a supermarket and watches people give the BI woman a couple of £20's every hour. She reckons she is getting at least £40 an hour given to her on top of what she sells and her weekly shop bought for her.

That was it! Almost exactly! This was Victoria line, Oxford Circus-ish ...

There has been a run od beggars on the Victoria line in the last few weeks. Exactly the same script.

My friend isn't odd. She earns just above minimum wage in a supermarket and watches people give the BI woman a couple of £20's every hour. She reckons she is getting at least £40 an hour given to her on top of what she sells and her weekly shop bought for her
Good, maybe your friend should spend her time working instead of looking out the window, she may get a pay rise.

DP is a police officer and in the city he works in he says only two of the beggars are actually homeless and the professional beggars probably make more than we do working full time jobs.

He makes a point of greeting them by name and asking them why they're sitting on the street and not in their nice warm house.

It's a very lucrative business. They often have full bags of food which they can then sell on.

The dogs are shared too and swapped around between people as it garners more sympathy. It's sad that people like this are monopolising on others suffering and taking from real homeless people.

I wouldn't have ignored her but I'd have told her no.

I met two people who worked for a homeless charity they said not to give.

I live in a big city (not London) and there are gangs of beggars who live in houses in the suburbs. They travel into the city each day and spend the day actively begging. There is a big difference between those people and the genuinely homeless people, in your situation OP I wouldn't have given her anything either.

I was in Istanbul last year heading to YeniKapi heading for the ferry. There was a little girl around 8 years old I would guess selling packets of tissues by the side of the path. Fairly common in Turkey and I often buy them, she was about the same age as my son. Anyway I decided to buy some tissues. She only spoke a little Turkish mostly Arabic which I don't speak so may have been Syrian.

I asked her if she wanted some food or water, but she did not understand and she was trying to hide something. It was then I realised she had wet herself and was trying to hide the fact.

I got her some food and found a police officer who I told about the situation. He just shrugged and said there was nothing he could do. And so to my shame I left.

I travel on the district line and Hammersmith and City line. On every journey there are at least 5 people begging - you simply cannot give to them all.

I really don't understand all the angst. I work hard for my money, I never give any away, especially not to people who ask me directly for it, and I have never felt the need to apologise for that fact. It's not fashionable to say it, but: I pay my taxes.

I refuse to make eye contact or give money to beggars on the tube. They prey on making you feel uncomfortable in a confined space as their donation tactic.

As a woman who (like many women) has spent her whole life being warned to be careful about talking to strange men, I find it amazing that this theory gets bunked off if they are “homeless”, when suddenly you’re cruel & heartless because you don’t want to engage with strange men!

I would’ve given her something, but you’re entitled to decide for yourself what you’re comfortable with.

I really don’t think the beggars where I live are professional beggars. I see them sleeping outside in the cold and rain, I dont believe anyone would do that if they had a nice warm house to go to. I dont avoid eye contact with people that seems incredibly rude. Sometimes I don’t give anything, sometimes I give w small amount of money, buy some food or very occasionally but them lunch in a cafe and chat to them.

I wouldn't have given in that situation. I usually acknowledge them and say no rather than ignore them but not always.
I was in Birmingham recently and there was a poster asking you not to buy homeless people food because they don't eat it and it's causing a litter and rat problem! I donated money to a local homeless charity while I was there though. It seems even more prevalent there than London which surprised me.

I’d never give money as can be used for drugs. However, have brought a sandwich and food for rough sleepers before.

This might be a bit outing, but before becoming a prison detox nurse I was a hostel support worker, and I know most of the beggars in my local area.

I never give them money, but I do give them a smile and ask them how they are, I spend a few minutes chatting to them. I ask them if they want food/drink and most of them accept.

So what I would say is - don't write people off, just acknowledge them and say you don't have any change etc and wish them well.