Orla1970
*Some of the language on here describing fellow human beings is truly awful. Many many people end up on the streets and with a drug/alcohol issue because of significant trauma in their life. Not many people think when I grow up I’d like to have a heroin addiction and be homeless. Often it’s a combination of complex factors.
If you don’t want to give people money that’s your personal decision of course but all the names and derogatory language is unnecessary. This assumption that everyone is a scammer is way off too. If you don’t want to help. That’s your choice. Just try to be kind. Kindness costs nothing
This.
And often the same people who talk about needing a glass of wine / gin after looking after their kids or a long day at work. They "deserve" the gin and a bit of pleasure but the poor sod sleeping rough with maggots in his feet* somehow doesn't.
He doesn't deserve any money because he'll only spend it on wine. [{ here's your mirror }]
seen with my own eyes on a young guy with absolutely no hope left in his body through years of abuse and neglect
@MeredithGreyishblue and @Orla1970 - completely agree with both of you. These threads always break my heart.
People who say they won't give them money because they'll drink/buy drugs and won't ever get out of the cycle - what, you think without your crappy £2 they're going to magically get clean and go to rehab? Addiction just isn't like that. And personally when someone is sleeping rough on the freezing cold and dangerous streets, I don't begrudge them having a can of cider if that's what their addiction needs right now.
I worked as a volunteer at a food shelter for a considerable time and homelessness and addiction are so complicated. In our area, the shelters would only help people out with ongoing accommodation if they were willing to get clean right away. Some addicts just aren't able or ready to do that, and there are so many reasons for this. We had one of our older gents freeze to death outside the cathedral in the winter. I cannot tell you how utterly fucking sad homelessness and addiction are. He could have had a long-term place but wasn't able to consider stopping drinking, so all we could offer were the temporary overnight shelters which are massively oversubscribed every night.
There was a woman at the shelter, a heroin addict and as I got to know her I found out we were the same age. Her story was so sad, so much trauma, and she'd made a series of relatively trivial bad choices that ultimately led to addiction. Her bones were crumbling and she looked like a pensioner. She'd lost a child. A decade on and I still think of her sometimes - the phrase of "there but for the grace of god go I" has never been more appropriate. I'm not a big drinker, and a don't take drugs. I'm about as far from an addict as you'll find as I don't like the loss of control - but I still think that it only takes a couple of wrong turns in life, some twists of bad luck, and anything really could happen.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with not giving money to someone who asks. I don't judge anyone for that. But at the same time, try and consider what someone sleeping rough or even in a shelter might be experiencing. A little compassion goes a very long way.