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 say hello if they talk first but I only give to one person a day as it gets too expensive. Lots of people begging where I live.

In big cities I rarely make eye contact, My 10 yo DD wants to give money to every beggar she sees and gets really upset.

I say sorry if I have no money. Or if I do I stop and give it and then if they have a dog I stay and fuss it and have a chat to them.

Or if I'm going into town on my break, I ask if they want anything. I used to see the same few, so knew their names and names of their dogs. Would sit and chat in my break with them some days.

I feel bloody angry that in a civilised country there are so many people on the streets and so little money to help them. It could be any one of us, a mental breakdown, a drug or alcohol problem, loss of a job. Not one of us is safe.
I often buy them food and stop for a chat.

@Tellingitlikeitisnt the area I work in has 2 night shelter type provisions. It costs nothing to stay there, but you get a bed on a might by night basis, and you leave each morning at 8 or 9am. The hostels, are different. You get your own room or flat, and pay rent. Most of it is covered by housing benefit but you'd need to pay a top up out of your universal credit. The hostels are NOT affordable for people who work. There supported housing, which is a similar set up to the hostels.

Once you've done your time in the hostel/supported housing, then theoretically you will move on into social housing via the council. This is assuming you have no bad housing history, arrears, evictions etc behind you. If you do (Most do) then you need to spend your time in the hostel paying off previous rent arrears and generally showing you can be a good tenant. Hope that helps. It's a very very brief explanation.

I don't make eye contact due to guilt makes me feel awful seeing people in the street! And I very rarely carry cash!

@Babyroobs look into the charity street paws. The people they support love their dogs. And do not drug them.

I was in a random night out in Manchester just before Xmas, I'm from Bedfordshire, and met a homeless man with a Staffie. We got chatting and he told me that dog was called Kaka. A few days later they came up on my fb feed as a dog and owner street paws were helping.

We only generally encounter them in nearby towns, and being small it's easy to recognise the regulars and nearly everyone knows which are genuine. So usually ask if they want food/ hot drink/ dog food, and if they're ok for those at the time give them money. Someone I haven't seen before I'll check with a regular to see if they know if they're genuine first.

In the early 2000's when the first homeless person appeared in a tiny nearby town, it was practically a community project to help them. Everything from short term help to volunteers to mind the dog so he could go to overnight hostels, and eventually he got a job with accommodation because of it. Now, not only are they too common, but the problem of low wages/ few jobs/ increasing house prices/ scarcity of social housing that for the most part caused most of the local homeless people to be on the streets make it virtually impossible to do much more than offer basics to get them by on the streets.

If I lived in/ near a bigger town or city then I'd probably just give to the nearest soup kitchen.

I agree that it is a hugely complex subject.

I live in a small town and volunteer with vulnerable adults, some of whom choose to live on the streets or sofa surf. I never give money, but I will give food or a hot drink, warm socks, that kind of thing. And I call the ‘Homeless Officer’ (or whatever the current job title is ) who will visit people.

We let people know what (limited) help is available and offer to pay the bus fare or shelter fee ... but it is rarely accepted.

I was street homeless for a while but never begged. That makes a lot of difference. I had a vicars wife bring me out tea and breakfast after sleeping out in a storm. The thing is so many ‘homeless’ are professional beggars these days it’s nigh on impossible to differentiate.

YY Chesney There is the charity Dogs on the Streets too.

@Nottalotta thanks that’s so useful

But do you mean the hostels are not affordable for those who DONT work?

So getting a nightly place in a shelter to be rested and clean enough to try and get work is key? Without a job then progress towards permanent social housing is impossible?

www.indy100.com/article/homeless-man-paris-dog-stealing-animal-rights-group-video-9278476

DOTS yes that's the other one. Thanks I forgot their name. They do great work too!

I buy the Big Issue from one and give money to a young one outside Sainsbury's. Then the rest I'm afraid I walk past.

I don’t engage.

The homeless people around the area I work are aggressive and threatening. Drugged up junkies shouting and bawling at each other in the street. No chance am I approaching any of them with a cup of tea.

I did once give money to a pregnant girl. She was selling the Big Issue. She seemed nice but didn’t speak much English so I don’t know what her story was. Resolved that next time i would get her some chocolate and maybe a box of prenatal vitamins or something but I haven’t seen her since.

@Tellingitlikeitisnt no, not affordable if you DO work. The hostels will be upwards of £200 per week, staffed 24/7, providing support etc. So if no work, housing benefit covers most of the cost. If you do work, it would be cheaper (in this
area) to rent a bedding, or flat. Even a room in a shared house at £80 or £90 per week.

The problem isn't just housing though, many of the homeless single people I see, have multiple complex issues. Mental health problems, offending, substance misuse etc.

You can download the Streetlink app. When you see someone sleeping rough, you upload details such as a description and location. The charity then pass the details to organisations locally who can provide the appropriate help to the person.

I think many people worry that offering money will enable the person to buy drugs or alcohol, which isn't helping them.

Is it not really patronising to not give money?

You're assuming they will mis-spend your donation. But who are we to judge how they spend their money?

I give cash and smile because if they want or need alcohol or drugs to get through their day, who am I to judge from my safe and comfortable house?

In my local town we have people who sit directly underneath the cash machine begging for money. Not in the town all the time so no idea if they are genuinely homeless so don't tend to engage.

In central London the other lunchtime and walked past a more guy who was asleep up against a shop window. Someone had left a little gift wrapped in Xmas paper right by his head. That brought a bit of a lump to my throat.

@santasay I’m in agreement

We only have one now as unfortunately the others have either died or been inprisoned for other offences. He’s actually okay, he doesn’t mind you saying hi and always says have a nice day, he’s never outright asked for money but I have bought him a hot choc before. I go to other places and they beg and I’ve even had one follow me to shout at me before so I’m actually a bit scared and this makes me sad

Considering the amount of homeless people there are round here, I’d never get anywhere if I stopped to say hello to all of them.

I give something or say hi if I’m in the mood, but I do remember that I ignore the existence of most of the people I pass every day, not just the homeless ones.

I don't go into town often enough to know regulars and who is genuine, who's in a gang and who's freeloading. I remember 20 odd years ago getting a train home from uni for the weekend and a regular beggar with a distinctive facial tatoo was boarding the train. My town has a good network of support services/ charities and does attract street sleepers from surrounding areas. There are also a lot of foul, abusive street drinkers who are not homeless or begging but will turn nasty on anyone for the slightest of reasons and are best blanked and avoided.

I tend to walk on but will politely acknowledge anyone talking to me, even if it is making excuses about not having change. Occasionally I've ended up having a brief pleasant chat, and they are the people I'm most likely to give to. I do ignore and stride purposefully past chuggers and street preachers, so homeless people rate higher than that.

I can well understand street sleepers having addictions, but I'd rather not have my money going on to nasty criminal networks further along the chain. My issue is the dealers, not someone trying to get through a night.

I'm not without sympathy, I just don't know who is genuinely struggling and who is taking advantage.

Yes. I remember reading/hearing this somewhere and after that I made an effort to smile and say hello. When I saw the big issue seller he used to ask "Big issue?" and I'd say "Sorry, no" and one day he said "What do you have to be sorry for?" and I thought yeah, good point. So since then I say "No thank you" to big issue sellers instead.

However I have now moved abroad and the majority of the beggars here are often associated with Roma gangs and they are very aggressive in their pleas for money/attention, and some are known to pickpocket, so I have reverted to not making eye contact, which makes me feel sad/guilty, especially as obviously some will be "real" homeless.