How do you honestly react to homeless people on the street?

[MrsBrentford]

I watched a documentary, can’t remember which, about homeless people and how they feel totally invisible, and inhuman and that made me feel shit.

Thought about my own behaviour and how I occasionally give money or food but more often than not I hurry past and avoid eye contact.

So this year I have decided to make eye contact, smile and say hello to every homeless person I see in town (and there seem to be an increasing amount in my town ).

Is anyone else guilty of this?

I just ignore them. It's the gangs that make the money, not the ones sitting on the streets.

"DP knows loads of homeless people who all have social housing and go into town to beg for brew money"

A dig at social housing tenants? Well whod have thunk it

I'm a housing officer who works with homeless people. Very rarely do I see any of the actual homeless people on the street. I see plenty of people begging. Most are not from the area they are begging in, they come in on the train, then go home, to their home. In my town, none of the regular beggars are actually homeless.

If I see a homeless person, I do usually try to avoid bit that's more because I tend to know them, they know me, and I end up being pulled into a lengthy conversation about their housing situation, or anything else, when I've just popped out for a sarnie!

I do say hello but I don’t give money. I can understand if they spend money given to them on booze or drugs but I’m not risking having my money spent on drugs.

Too many on the streets begging to count. Impossible to know who is genuine. Fortunately there are lots of outreach projects and agencies who go round nightly with food and to try and get those on the street into a shelter. There is one place which is free to enter but you cannot be drunk or high to stay there, so lots turn it down. All of the agencies say the same thing, which is don't give cash.

I used to buy blankets and gloves for one of the guys who sits outside my local Tesco. Looks like he has heavy addiction problems and is frequently there in cold and wet weather with no blanket or anything. I stopped buying him stuff after seeing him get one of his mates - who looked tidier than he did - return the bits I'd just bought him for a credit note. When I mentioned it to a mate who does outreach work she said he'll most likely have flogged the credit note for cash at half its face value for drugs.

It's really sad. I smile and say hello, but I don't engage now.

I should gird myself....

If it's a woman and she looks like she might appreciate a "hello" I say it.

9 times out of 10, if it's a bloke, I walk on because I don't want them starting a chat. Exceptions - the regular homeless I see near work and home, but that's a bit different if you see them often and know of other colleagues or neighbours who chat with them. I do say hi to them and buy them hot drinks when it's shit freezing.

I will often make eye contact and smile, but I don't say hello unless I actually know them.

I would never just ignore them if they ask for money. I think it's incredibly rude to ignore someone when they're speaking to you. Often, I simply say sorry, I can't help. Sometimes, I offer to buy them something to eat or drink. Occasionally, I might give them cash but I tend not to, as there is obviously a risk that you're feeding a drug/alcohol problem. There are a few people who I see regularly and I will stop and chat to some of them. I think it's important to treat people like human beings.

I just say hi and either give them something or say sorry. I once walked to costa and bought a latte and a choc croissant for a guy asleep in a doorway. He wasn't begging he was just under some blankets in a doorway. I said 'morning. I've brought you breakfast' then left.

Will never forget having the worst day ever, walking up to Aldi to do a shop, completely ignoring the homeless man I passed with my headphones in on the phone to my DP. For me to then realise I didn’t have the quid for the trolley, mention it to DP and to then feel a tap in the shoulder and on the homeless man was stood there with a pound coin!

I used to always give a couple of quid to people begging - I don’t know if they’re homeless, just skint, addicted to anything or all three. Confirming homeless status wasn’t really necessary. I don’t know what to do now because there are so many in my city and I can’t possibly give them all a couple of quid. If I could I would. When I lived in a small town I used to buy the Big Issue from the same guy all the time but now I just don’t know what to do. I find it so distressing that I started going to work a completely different way. Burying my head in the sand.

I'm quite shy with this stuff. I mean, I'd love to offer them something to eat, but would feel awkward if they asked for the money instead ... especially as I never carry cash.

If I have change I give, but I'm usually cashless these days. I don't judge them on their clothing, if I were made homeless today I would also have designer trainers, coat and nice phone because they were bought before I was homeless.

It's difficult because there appear to be loads in my city but some of them live near me and get the bus into town with their sleeping bags. So this makes me suspicious of all of them which isn't fair. Also, some of those begging in town are often off their face on drugs and can be really scary and abusive. So, I never ignore them if asked for money but I never ever give money. I do however give cigarettes if I'm on a night out and they ask.

If it costs £16 to stay in one of the hostels for a night then how are homeless people meant to come up with that unless they beg?

Do the street charities offer free places?

I wish I understood more about what help is given to them?
I’ve always been told to be polite and buy food or hot drinks if they specifically ask for it but not to give cash and give to the charities instead so this is what I do.

But I’m not clear how you actually do get yourself off the streets once on them? It seems impossible for some to achieve and that must be terrifying

It’s a horrible problem

Honestly? I have social anxiety and don't like talking to people. So I don't do anything. But thats not homeless people; thats people in general.

I give them money, or sometimes gloves etc in winter, or I ask them if I can get them something if I'm going into Tesco.

If i don't have money on me I'll apologise and say so, I find it hard to do the ignoring thing.

Not that many homeless near me, but a couple of regulars near a (small) local supermarket. I ask them what they'd like (not daily). There used to be a man in a different part of town who had a large number of cardboard signs over his boxes/sleeping bags: "no meat", "no alcohol", "do not disturb me while I pray", "no tea of coffee". I bought him some chocolate once and he said suspiciously "what is this you are giving me?"

I have an acquaintance (through AA) who sleeps in the disabled toilet in a public area and I know how tough she finds it, but there are a myriad of issues and she doesn't want a flat on her own, and shared houses have proven too difficult so she really appreciates anything people give her. Because of her, I find it impossible to walk past people - but I don't live in an inner city.

We have loads near where I work because the homeless shelter/drug clinic is around the corner from work.

The homeless people near us are abusive and so high they can barely see straight.

Avoidance is honestly the safest tactic and one I use with few exceptions. I do donate items the homeless shelter requests to help those they help along with monetary donations to Llamau. At an individual level it's too risky to engage and help locally but at a wider level I do try and help.

I find t hard as lot of ‘homeless’ in the city where I am are not. There has been a lot of coverage about those who beg in the city centre making hundreds if not thousands operating as part of gangs. Often if you look closely they have dirty coats over fancy thermal ones, I fear the genuine homeless are actually forced off the public streets by these people.

I generally smile and acknowledge their existence as I would anyone who kind of crosses my path.

I give money not food or stuff as I don’t want to impose my choices on others and can see why drink or fags might make life more bearable. Their choice, anyway.

I buy a big issue from a regular vendor and always fetch him a coffee and sandwich too. I can’t imagine standing for hours in the freezing or wet weather without many sales and little eye contact.

I occasionally give money but mostly walk by because there are hundreds in the city in which I live.

I don’t usually have change on me so if I’m asked for money I just say sorry, I don’t have any.

I once saw a homeless chap picking up cigarette butts off the floor and try to smoke them so I gave him my pack of fags that I’d just bought. I offered to buy him food and/or a drink but he politely declined.

I also hate it when I see them with dogs. I have read reports that they drug the dogs to get sympathy. Obviously I have no way of knowing if this is true but it seems every other one has a dog ( usually a staffie) and I feel so desperately sorry for them.

It depends. Some of them I chat to. Some of them I know are chancers and lifestylers. Up to them but im not giving those ones money. I used to know a couple of them around here back from my mispent youth and wouldnt piss on of they were on fire. Also some really aggressive beggars who i think might be inside now
I have a couple I chat to amd I pretty much know theyre on smack, but theyre nice and i hope they get off it one day. I sometimes give them a couple of quid or a fiver here and there.

I started being more discerning who i gave to after the big murder. We were getting beggars coming in from other towns as it was so lucrative. I now give to the homeless shelter instead and the women's refuge and another homeless charity instead where i can