To say please don’t give money to the Christmas market beggars

[Nutmuncher]

This will seem controversial to some but as someone living in a City centre the Christmas markets attract high numbers of beggars, addicts and alcoholics.

Please do not give them money because it simply encourages them to keep coming back every year in larger numbers. It is frustrating to say the least when you see the same faces sat in the same spots day after day and visitors take pity on them without realising they’re only perpetuating the never ending cycle.

My advice is to instead donate to your local children’s charity or food bank to give to those struggling to provide who aren’t begging or feeding an addiction.

In my town they go to their dealer then shoot up in the park right next to my DC's school (and then leave their dirty needles in the park). So I'm sorry but I do judge both them and the people that enable them by giving them money.

I never give to the homeless unless they are with a dog and then I will give food to both and a hot drink . I prefer to give monthly to my favourite charities .

Exactly.

I think whilst of course people can make their own decisions, it's good to raise awareness that many begging on the streets are doing so because of addiction and/or exploitation, they are not literally living on the streets because they have nowhere else to go. I'm seeing many UKIP type social media posts about "our own" being forced to sleep in ripped sleeping bags on the streets because "the boat people are being put up in 5* hotels in the lap of luxury."

Homeless and addiction charities disagree. Every pound that you give an addict isn't bringing "niceness" to their lives (majority of them are miserable and hate being addicted), it is contributing to the devastating cycle of addiction.

I will give my money to as many market beggars as i like thanks.

In fact i usually buy them a drink and some food and give them a couple of protein bars. If they have a pet with them i usually get something for the pet too.

Well, to be honest, so would I if I saw that ...
I hadn't thought of that really to be fair

This is very original advice. I have never heard this message before.

my daughters always carry a couple of little emergency packs for just this eventuality.

Yeah and by doing your Good Samaritan act you’re inadvertently increasing the likelihood of professional beggars who are thieves and they just make city centres uncomfortable places to be. You can put your money to better use by donating to, or even better volunteer, at a night shelter.

I'm aware that they disagree but then of course they will.

Addicts need help but they have to want that help first. They also aren't going to magically not be addicts if they stopped getting money from begging and automatically get the help they need, it isn't that simple.

If they are addicts, they will get drugs one way or another.

I think you are mostly being reasonable, and there are definitely some nuisance beggars, but overall I think you are unreasonable to not want to see ‘beggars’ and homeless people in town centres and at Christmas markets. Some Xmas markets are decent and are focused around local communities but some (like in my city) take up street space at the busiest times of the year, are filled with the same mass-produced items, and aren’t even run by local businesses. Christmas is about people anyway.

These days i dont give anything to anyone as you walk down the high street, there are 10 charities asking for you to sign up, then 4-7 people sleeping on street with all their possessions and asking for change, then a guy/woman signing with open box for donations and they've got card machine which i find amusing.
I choose to help Salvation Army, Red Cross and local community with food, hygiene products etc. Because those are items you buy and pass on, if you give money...you dont know where it goes.

'It is frustrating to say the least when you see the same faces sat in the same spots day after day and visitors take pity on them without realising they’re only perpetuating the never ending cycle.'

Helping to keep them alive, you mean?

I will be visiting the Christmas market at the nearby city next month and very much intend on doing as I do every year and giving some of the homeless people I see some chocolate or a MacDonalds.

They have as much right to be there as you do and your post actually puts me off buying anything from a Christmas market stall if that's the uncharitable attitude of the average stall holder. Shame on you.

You are right. We had someone give a talk about the local homeless project and they said to never give money, but giving food and drink was fine.

One of the regulars sat outside Morrisons is clearly a drug addict and when I ask him if he wants something to eat he always asks for money for a MacDonalds, and I always tell him that I will buy him food but not give him money. He always accepts even if it is just a hot drink.

It’s not up to you to tell people how to spend their money or dictate how they choose to help

I also only offer to buy food. The man outside Boots got a bit of grumpy with me when I offered to buy a sandwich and drink 😂 I wasn’t offended, he just didn’t fancy a sandwich.

I bought a Big Mac meal for a woman in McDonalds the other day, as she had all her worldly belongings in a supermarket trolley. It transpired that she had been offered a hotel for a long term stay but said there were insects. And she had been offered a flat but it was a 20 minute drive away.

It was very sad because it was obvious that she had been a working woman for many years but due to MH issues it had all fallen apart. It can happen to anyone.

Where has she dictated? AFAICS, her name is @Nutmuncher not Chairman Mao.

Agreed. People can make their own decisions without being lectured at

Agreed. People can make their own decisions without being lectured at.

There's a homeless chap in our town (not UK) with a dog, who has had a huge run of bad luck, bad health and so on, leaving him destitute.

He is an alcoholic and has a dog and thus most (if not all) of the homeless shelters are closed to him (because of the dog, and because they are not equipped to deal with his DTs because he can't drink).

There are many many reasons why some homeless people don't, won't or can't engage with the charities and organisations who are supposed to help them. And so, people buy him food, dog treats, and some of the shops let him wash and use their toilet before they open, and just before they close.

I'm never not going to give him food, drink, dog treats/food, or a bit of cash, when i see him. Others? depends on who they are. I know a couple of the homeless/beggars in our nearest town and usually give them food.

I offer food and drink when I see a beggar. I never get my money out in case they have pals hanging around who then know where my purse is.

That was what I meant to respond to. The OP is indicating that other people are making decisions that are not as good as hers.

I would agree with you about Christmas market or professional beggars.
Not about the homeless guy who lives near a park I visit. He's always there in a feeble tent, some mother's son.

A lady used to live in a block of flats near me. She would beg in town centre every day or hang out by the train station asking for money to get home. She had a home, benefits for food/utilities, she just wanted more free money. There are some genuine homeless people and they need professional help, so would much rather give to a charity like Shelter than give directly. I was really shocked by the number of people begging at the Christmas market I visited last year, it’s definitely becoming more common and the council should be helping them. If they don’t want help they should be moved on.