Tired of the performative beggars and alcoholics this time of year

[Onand]

Is anyone else sick and tired of the huge number of ‘homeless’ beggars, alcoholics and addicts that descended on the streets since the Christmas rush started this year?

Manchester is rife with them- this year there is a particularly ropey bunch of alcoholics/ addicts that are obnoxiously ‘sleeping’ or sitting with their bags pointing directly out into the street instead of being against a wall, they’re building ‘dens’ in shop doorways which stink of human faeces and piss, dealers go from spot to spot, dogs forced to sit in uncomfortable situations (often not even their dog as the same one gets passed from beggar to beggar).

It’s a self perpetuating problem because soup kitchens serving buffets set up and cater meals for them whilst they’re generally being a nuisance and making the streets look an absolute shitty mess. Why are they tolerated? People need to stop giving them money as it just encourages them to keep doing it when there are services in place to help them.

Bah humbug I know, but It’s beyond grim.

Yup this is true, often there is still a background of trauma/neglect though. Generally the substances are used as an attempt to block things out or to feel something.

Do not get me started on boarding schools!

I often give to beggars and those who live on the streets, I’d rather give directly even if I sometimes get scammed than give to a charity who spend it all on admin and mailing.

Best to give to shelter and not give cash. You can be sympathetic to genuine homeless people but aware of gangs and grifters. We had a local homeless man we all gave to, at the street bbq someone popped over to the train station and invited him over. Charming guy, got lots of good and help from the street. Turns out he was a complete con artist. Nice flat in Fulham, all over the papers went he was charged. I can have sympathy for those struggling and be angry at those taking advantage at the same time

Pass by Russell & Bromley Manchester around 6pm every evening and you’ll see how these services are provided. Queues of men for their dinner.

I get that you think that but at the end of the day some of those people have huge issues that we don’t know about. Also I always wonder if some of those women who are outside in the pouring rain all day actually have a choice or are they not allowed home until they have collected a certain amount. Even if they are on the make there are easier ways to earn a living. Poor souls. Check your privilege.

You’re essentially funding alcoholism/ drug addiction. The fallacy that charities don’t deliver services to those in need is just that.

I sometimes would go into Pennys and buy them hat scarf gloves and buy sambo and coffee for them instead of going money.

Except your donation could be the one that pays for the toxic polluted 'heroin' {Chinese illegally made Nitazines and fentanyl} that kills him or her.

The oldskool Afghan heroin at least could be easily reversed with the antidote, naloxone. {Prenoxad}

{Can be carried legally by members of public to reverse opioid overdose}

Spot on!!!!

People don't realise that they are promoting addiction by giving cash.

There are lots of levels of homelessness, but rough sleeping is the most dangerous. The issue is very very complex. It's not just down to available accommodation. A lot of these people are unable to cope with conventional society so the thought of living in any form of proper accommodation, just doesn't work for them.
My ex husband and children's father is a rough sleeper. Marriage break up, drug addiction, poor mental health its a slippery slope. It's not even that he hasn't got family who care, his family love him very much but can't help him as he's so vile.

Also the hilarity of saying you’re promoting addiction and alcoholism. If I was homeless living in a tent, had nowhere decent to wash or toilet, had limited access to feminine hygiene products, food, water, warmth etc I’d probably hit the crack pipe or bottle too. It’s a waste of time even replying to these types of posts anyway so I’m not sure why I’m even bothering!

You seriously believe charities ‘deliver services’ to all those experiencing homelessness?

Do you also believe services are available for all those experiencing addiction and/or mental health problems?

No, you are not a racist. Stating the obvious is not racist. Yes, their lives are rubbish. Yes, they are scammers. Yes, they are Roma and my heart breaks for them - having arrived in the UK 20+ years ago, they don't let their children complete their education, they marry off girls under age and they do not use a single opportunity a Western democracy offers. My heart bleeds for their children. There must be so many good teachers, doctors, lawyers, bus drivers, etc. lost because they don't let their children complete their school education and go to university. The fact that the authorities ignore it and say this is 'cultural' is discriminating the children from the Roma families. I actually think that Roma people have been the most abused and discriminated people in the whole history of the world, and that is including slave trade victims, Jews, etc. Yet we sacrifice their children on the altar of political correctness. Shame on us.

Perhaps I should have said 'marketing' . I and many other pp have literally given many examples where the conduct of street beggers has been less then truthful in order to get cash.

I wasn't being judgy. If your only source of income is begging (regardless of reason) then of course you will seek ways to increase that income. Whether that is to feed a habit, save enough to integrate back into society, pay off your gang leader or just to survive another night. I would likely do the same.

I don't treat any of them differently depending my assumptions. I smile, make eye contact, say no thanks/not today and crucially don't give them any money. I have bought hot drinks in cold weather, I have reported rough sleeping/tent in parks (it was within our departments remit to do so) so the rangers can check up on them.

I'm not really sure what you want me to do differently?

Correct.
It is massively complex.
Some people actually choose to live rough..it's hard for some to comprehend, but there is a strange freedom to it.

No bills, no responsibility, bloody cold in winter, but preferable to hostels, or having to deal with other people.

DD used to see the one legged man by the Marble Arch Pret a Manger on a regular basis and would buy him something from Pret. I went with her a couple of times and took him some biscuits. We've not had cause to go that way for some years. I think about him sometimes, I hope he survived Covid

Patronising, copycat twaddle with the 'check your privilege'.

If you want to give money to women in the rain then do it, you need nobody else's permission. You won't get applause from me though; by doing that you are keeping these women out in the rain. If nobody gave them money it wouldn't be worthwhile.

I prefer to give any money that I want to give to the charities that help - Shelter, Salvation Army and any local ones. You do as you like but disabuse yourself of the notion that you 'know best'. You don't.

My ex husband and children's father is a rough sleeper. Marriage break up, drug addiction, poor mental health its a slippery slope. It's not even that he hasn't got family who care, his family love him very much but can't help him as he's so vile
I'm so sorry 😥@TickingKey46

People can become disconnected from normal society, they become too far gone and it can be almost impossible to help them, not that we have the resources anyway ☹️

Thank you.

These days he would have undoubtedly been diagnosed with ASD, ADHD and serious depression. The GP recommended him for urgent MH services - but like today - there was not much help around and after 15 months waiting for his "urgent appointment" he was too overwhelmed to function - he stopped going to work, couldn't pay rent and got evicted. Then he was in the vicious circle of no job = no housing. He started to self-medicate with alcohol.

From what we could piece together he was known to the Salvation Army soup kitchen - he lived in the larger parks in the summer and doorways/small parks in the winter. Which is why he died in Hanover Square.

Part of him tried to get his life together and start again. A few years after he went missing we got notification that he had sat some upper tier taxation exams - but got a D when he needed a C.

I donate to charities like Crisis and Shelter, buy the Big Issue and sometimes by a hot drink or food for individual homeless people, but for the reasons already mentioned plenty of times I don't give cash.
I spent some time in India with work years ago and found it really difficult as there were so many people on the streets begging, including children and it is human nature to want to help, but there are just so many it's an overwhelming issue. I thought it was really harsh at first but on the day I arrived the colleague who was looking after me told me to put my sunglasses on, don't make eye contact with anyone begging and if I wanted to help to donate to a reputable charity instead. Her rationale was that there were lots of scammers and chances are you're lining an abuser's pocket rather than genuinely helping a child, and even if someone is genuine more good is done by the organisations trying to bring about real change than by the same amount of money given to individuals. It did make sense and I chose to donate to a well known charitably run hospital in the area instead. I've kept the same basic attitude back at home.

That must be so heartbreaking and it doesn't sound like there's any way out but the inevitable. Horrible for him - even worse for his family to watch knowing that there's literally nothing that they can do to help him.

You sound like my Mother who on hearing that we had dropped some donations off at our local Street kitchen asked how we knew "which ones were genuine"
I replied that we made them all fill in an extensive application form before we handed over some bottles of water and packets of cereal bars

This. ☝️

Giving money gives people a warm feeling, but they don't think of their ''drops'' {donations} as driving on the person's addiction.

A lovely young lad, extremely sweet appeared on the streets near us back in the 1990's

He was flagged up to agencies, but he soon became addicted, and the agencies really tried so hard to prevent this.

He had so much money donated to him.

Dean-Telfer-Bristol-iZettle
Dean Telfer was one of the first vendors to receive the device in Bristol
The £4,000 raised in Dean’s memory is an indication of how well-loved he was in Bristol.
The much-loved 39-year-old vendor died last Christmas and inspired an outpouring of emotion from customers who raised funds for Dean’s funeral as well as for charity StreetVet in his memory.
James Wilkinson, Sales and Outreach Worker for The Big Issue in Bristol, said: “Dean was always a kind and gentle personality in the office and on his pitch and was a real staple of his community.”

Dean's picture is here : A genuinely lovely person.