Giving money to the homeless

[IbelieveInanarchy]

Today i gave money to a homeless man, and afterwards i read some articles with titles like "why you should not give money to homeless". The main argument here is that they apparently will spend it on drugs and giving them money indirectly might cause them to overdose or decrease their health. What is your opinion on this?

[jhia]

I've thought about this a bit, and so far I can't say that there is a single answer to the question "Should I give money to the homeless?". Immediately, I wanted to say "Yes!", and encourage you to give what you can to those with less (or nothing). However it would be naive and perhaps even arrogant to say that giving money to the homeless is always a good idea. Sometimes people make decisions which other people consider to be bad. If you want to know if you're doing a good thing, just examine your motivation. If you give money with good intentions, you should still be able to sleep at night. If "steve" on the corner immediately goes and spends that dough on "stuff" to put in his arms, you may feel bad, but I'm sure it made his day. A friend of mine and I had this same conversation one time, and he asked me "Why shouldn't a homeless person be able to spend donated money on drugs?". That's a good point too that is worth mentioning, I think. It's a complex issue and I generally aim for the simplest answer when I have wondered the same thing in the past.

Simply put, if you don't want a homeless person to go and buy drugs, just give them food directly. A few bucks here and there isn't going to change their situation. It is only going to (hopefully) keep them alive long enough for it to change. Personally, giving food and clothing directly to the homeless is always a good idea. I'd also consider supporting initiatives in your location that aim to help the homeless better their situation. You can take direct action in this area in many ways.

Don't even get me started on the syndicalist nature of the last paragraph, though...That's another conversation for another day. Just do what you think is right, and support the initiatives to END homelessness as well as programs to support the homeless in our current system. There's a lot of direct and indirect ways to contribute.

[IbelieveInanarchy]

I've thought about this a bit, and so far I can't say that there is a single answer to the question "Should I give money to the homeless?". Immediately, I wanted to say "Yes!", and encourage you to give what you can to those with less (or nothing). However it would be naive and perhaps even arrogant to say that giving money to the homeless is always a good idea. Sometimes people make decisions which other people consider to be bad. If you want to know if you're doing a good thing, just examine your motivation. If you give money with good intentions, you should still be able to sleep at night. If "steve" on the corner immediately goes and spends that dough on "stuff" to put in his arms, you may feel bad, but I'm sure it made his day. A friend of mine and I had this same conversation one time, and he asked me "Why shouldn't a homeless person be able to spend donated money on drugs?". That's a good point too that is worth mentioning, I think. It's a complex issue and I generally aim for the simplest answer when I have wondered the same thing in the past.

Simply put, if you don't want a homeless person to go and buy drugs, just give them food directly. A few bucks here and there isn't going to change their situation. It is only going to (hopefully) keep them alive long enough for it to change. Personally, giving food and clothing directly to the homeless is always a good idea. I'd also consider supporting initiatives in your location that aim to help the homeless better their situation. You can take direct action in this area in many ways.

Don't even get me started on the syndicalist nature of the last paragraph, though...That's another conversation for another day. Just do what you think is right, and support the initiatives to END homelessness as well as programs to support the homeless in our current system. There's a lot of direct and indirect ways to contribute. Yeh but when a person asks, and im like "no i will give you food". its like you are saying you don't trust them with money. In my case, im relatively young, it is so disrespectful to say stuff like that to someone who is twice my age. Im very torn on this

[GiantMonkeyMan]

Of course charities want you to give them the money instead of directly to people who are living on the streets - the bosses of those charities need their paychecks. Honestly, the sort of structural change that socialists advocate offer far more to people who have suffered in the bullshit of capitalism. And if someone who is living on the streets wants to spend their money on booze, who am I to stop them?

[John Nada]

It's bullshit. This starts from the premise that A. all homeless people are addicts. B. all panhandlers are homeless C. that they're only going to spend it on drugs D. they're going to spend it on enough drugs to actually shorten their lives E. homeless people can't have fun F the solution to homelessness is "tough love" G. homelessness is a result of personal moral faults and not capitalism. All not true.

This is the talk of bourgeois ideology. The early bourgeois revolutions happened during the Reformation. From this the notion that faith results in reward and sin in punishment, in this life or the hereafter. That the rich got rich not by exploiting workers, but through virtue. Conversely, if you're poor, it must be punishment for sins or a test of faith(like the Book of Job). The solution is to repent and show pity, so at least you'll get into heaven. Enabling sin will only make it worse, and even put you at risk of damnation.

As you can see, it's religious rationalization used to justify capitalism, regardless of how secular they try to make it. Due to the US and UK's prominence in the world imperialist system, the "Protestant work ethic"(TM) permeates the superstructure, even among non-Protestants. Bourgeois ideology reinforces capitalist productive relations. They need that whip of poverty to keep the proletariat in line, and a excuse for why there's a bunch of empty houses yet a lot of homelessness.

Besides, who gives a fuck if they're going to spend it on drugs and alcohol? Life sucks, even more so when you're broke. Shit, I give panhandlers money even if they tell me it's for the fun stuff with zero regrets. Everyone living like monks ain't going to fix capitalism. The solution is a socialist revolution.

[IbelieveInanarchy]

It's bullshit. This starts from the premise that A. all homeless people are addicts. B. all panhandlers are homeless C. that they're only going to spend it on drugs D. they're going to spend it on enough drugs to actually shorten their lives E. homeless people can't have fun F the solution to homelessness is "tough love" G. homelessness is a result of personal moral faults and not capitalism. All not true.

This is the talk of bourgeois ideology. The early bourgeois revolutions happened during the Reformation. From this the notion that faith results in reward and sin in punishment, in this life or the hereafter. That the rich got rich not by exploiting workers, but through virtue. Conversely, if you're poor, it must be punishment for sins or a test of faith(like the Book of Job). The solution is to repent and show pity, so at least you'll get into heaven. Enabling sin will only make it worse, and even put you at risk of damnation.

As you can see, it's religious rationalization used to justify capitalism, regardless of how secular they try to make it. Due to the US and UK's prominence in the world imperialist system, the "Protestant work ethic"(TM) permeates the superstructure, even among non-Protestants. Bourgeois ideology reinforces capitalist productive relations. They need that whip of poverty to keep the proletariat in line, and a excuse for why there's a bunch of empty houses yet a lot of homelessness.

Besides, who gives a fuck if they're going to spend it on drugs and alcohol? Life sucks, even more so when you're broke. Shit, I give panhandlers money even if they tell me it's for the fun stuff with zero regrets. Everyone living like monks ain't going to fix capitalism. The solution is a socialist revolution. Thanks, this was largely what i was thinking without being able to sum it up in such a way.

My main points were that: 1. indeed if i was homeless, i could use a beer. 2. what do i have to lose, what IF they 'deceive' me and go buy beer instead of food. What did i really lose? A number on my bank account changed. But what if he actually needed food, and bought an awesome meal for himself? I don't see how people can be against this.

[ckaihatsu]

#Right2Rest comming to ya!!!!


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Hey People!

Press Release Contact: Justin Hufnagel, Sisters of the Road,
[email protected] 503-222-5694 x.115
Coral Feigin, Western Regional Advocacy Project
[email protected] 415-621-2533

For Immediate Release
February 3 , 2017

Representatives Piluso, Dembrow, Greenlick, Nosse, Power and Frederick Introduce Legislation Protecting the Civil Rights of Homeless and Poor People

Portland. Oregon Legislators Piluso, Dembrow, Greenlick, Nosse, Power and Frederick have joined forces to introduce a new bill designed to end discrimination against people experiencing homelessness. HB 2215 prohibits law enforcement from arresting or ticketing people for resting, sitting, eating, or engaging in other basic life-sustaining activities in public.

The growing rate at which cities are criminalizing homelessness is not unique to Oregon. Anti-homeless ordinances continue to grow across the country - policing who can and who cannot be in public space. It is exactly for this reason that the DOJ, HUD and the UN Human Rights Commission have all made statements criticizing these criminalization efforts - calling them, amongst other things, ''cruel and unusual punishment.''

"HB 2215 is consistent with all of the federal condemnations of criminalization practices. It is consistent with everything we are hearing from people experiencing homelessness. It is consistent with legal research done all across the country," said Coral Feigin, Director of Community Organizing at the Western Regional Advocacy Project. "This legislation, HB 2215, is crucial towards stopping the tidal wave of criminalization. If we can beat back these ordinances in Oregon, then we can continue to win in other states and actually build a future where we can all thrive."

###

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2017 Right 2 Rest Fest. Denver, Colorado.

Over 300 people showed up to the State Capitol on Friday to speak up for
the Right to Rest! Over 20 people spoke, all most all of whom are currently
or formerly homeless and directly affected by the criminalization of survival.
We also heard from our bill Sponsor Representative Joe Salazar who is
taking the charge again this year along with Representative Jovan Melton to
bring the Right to Rest through the House of Representatives. The Colorado Cross Disability Coalition, 9to5 Colorado, Denver Justice Project, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, and the ACLU among other organizations who
have endorsed the bill also spoke.

We had rad music, amazing food (thanks to the donations of Sexy Pizza,
Jimmy Johns, Food Not Bombs, and others!), and good times all around!



Watch videos of the speeches at the Fest on the Out Loud you tube page here (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013fEI-3JRsI3mF8Wd27cJYUGAUs09FnCB-ESW0Z8wadZr8RKc2Us8jTivK3av1q_ECms0l4iVHGGmkh97xEu aH6zBrHZTCf8l4ztDdxGoByDq8oYSRUkSx3z15zv117nyaS73H Iwvj_D70Ge_W5WfUXw8IEAjfMFhPBopYNaF9ntSsfsE1CJ9IrF iR3CXhcdU6Jx8DI1pzvgVMkqr6N-HVcqqMBaEApPEkpnAljXic1D4DOOtFH8sCIwke1PRYXSRF7-1T93-25o=&c=I2D579ONKJiDOYv_71KlExqAiHAhktFTHKf6Qx_vGViMT0TO 9DKlkg==&ch=BlwaWY9RMu0p45uGWVJbMKSy1VsdpysKNUg4tVamEPt8IiQ jqUERmA==)




One Sweep Leads to Another...

After sweep of Denagro street community many moved down river and facing sweep again Wednesday 2/1/17 8:30am

After folks were moved from the camp on Denargo between Delgany and Arkins, with no where else to go... some of the folks moved just down to the river below this area. This community has been resilient as can be sticking together in the midst of intense sweeps which are meant to split them apart and scatter them down the river out of sight. Police told folks on Friday when they came back to sweep again that they just needed to be "out of sight." But what that means is "move far away where you can't access resources" and "split apart from your community so you are less visible." These things are life threatening for many in this community due to personal heath issues. But in stead of caring about this reality the city prefers to continue to push folks "out of sight..."

People at this camp could use some resources and support!Here are some things that folks can do to help in these impending sweeps.1) Be a witness with a camera on site. If you do this be respectful of people who do not want to be on camera (it is always good to ask). But always video the cops.2) Bring needed stuff including...

-Hand warmers
-Socks
-Water
-Food
-Coffee
-Rope3) Drive people and things. Denver Homeless Out Loud Main Meeting
Join us for our weekly main DHOL meeting this Wednesday 2/1 4:45-7pm
at 2260 California St Denver CO 80205

Working Group Meeting TimesVillages:
Meets every Tuesday 5:30pm whole group at the DHOL office
Get Loud:
Meets Tuesdays and Fridays 1pm-3pm at the DHOL office
Homeless Bill of Rights:
Meets every Wednesday at 2:30pm at the DHOL office

Contact us at [email protected] or 720-940-5291


#TheVillageinOakland
36th Street and MLK in Oakland.

On the morning of Saturday, January 21, 2017, a network of Oakland community members took over a neglected public plot of land known as Grove Shafter Park in West Oakland. They intend to move in small homes, a hot shower, a healing clinic, and other services—declaring it a people’s encampment for those who need housing and basic needs and services. The group which includes folks living on Oakland streets, activists from #FeedthePeople and #Asians4BlackLives, and various individuals from the community, said that the move-in demonstrates their ability to provide what the City of Oakland cannot to its most vulnerable residents.

The group aims to demonstrate through their visionary encampment that housing is a human right.



They began moving into the public land at MLK and 36th street in the middle of the night and set up the village of services. The center of the village, spokespeople said, will become a community space reserved for daily people’s assemblies, and will provide services to the residents. Volunteers have begun planning for, including a health & healing clinic, hot home cooked meals, a hot shower, raised gardens, a computer lab, adult education center, and a center for distributing donations to Oakland residents in need. The village is open to all who need services provided whether you live at the site or not. And no registration is needed.

The encampment is not meant to be a permanent solution, but addresses the immediate needs and harm reduction of some of the City of Oakland’s more than 3,050 homeless residents. Oakland’s homeless population makes up 49.2% of all of Alameda County’s houseless. Homeless numbers are growing, spokespeople said, as a direct outcome of the city’s housing affordability crisis. The housing market in Oakland has skyrocketed, and a vast majority of landlords no longer accept Section 8 vouchers. Many of Oakland’s homeless residents have vouchers for Section 8 housing, but cannot find a rental agency that will accept the public housing program. Currently there are only 386 beds available in Oakland shelters.

"And the sweeps roll on" (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013fEI-3JRsI3mF8Wd27cJYUGAUs09FnCB-ESW0Z8wadZr8RKc2Us8jUph_pDh95LSA4k74Qd_sa_28eu0VpL 6YrrHEwgjiKah2V8jECOqrtwomwp8JAZFn8DvoxJV6MYxwOcKl jS4IcWRVv42wrjebRCff8ET5kKDI-OFWb302lpeNS-vYvie9jpSH4fxiYkJqUIb_L6fAdSaCaxtopnVhc8U3mt61914_ in0xTpWeVMqyN6xQj4fwNf5J03UOfArqs8IwVj9ig3MFsBLwlj oWMoJ6vxZaanwYGQjbalTb03LipF3CITbbBuCyh1uKE0f&c=I2D579ONKJiDOYv_71KlExqAiHAhktFTHKf6Qx_vGViMT0TO 9DKlkg==&ch=BlwaWY9RMu0p45uGWVJbMKSy1VsdpysKNUg4tVamEPt8IiQ jqUERmA==)

On February 02, dozens of Oakland police officers and public-works employees ousted an elaborate, unpermited settlement of small structures, tents, and hygienic facilities in North Okland's Grove Shafter Park while scores of supporters looked on in sadness and anger - East Bay Express reported

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[ckaihatsu]

At long last!


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Here is a link to the WRAP 2016 Annual Report (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KXPWlbOTd_jcWz9NoEwXoSK84JuuklmhjaRiln 0DTQUp-VWweiN66elg5O_OZEAT2nNrjqstajmy-u2Wn-y8n4NuCdoWb-y_nebCIA0oiyRFyN7v0U6OoglIaRVW2EXJ9SRBcKwEa5MiPPsb HNBkC2jnSPTXwEGo8H18Jnh9suRA-YCmDjo-Udl4uSwA8z8JhcYHHSojnApucxxAgX211ZavYbEUzJDF&c=A0T8Z0sJYbqJ30VCGIJI4iO72eiEp8e5SSmLd7Z5n8Rcwa0K c4AhuA==&ch=8vHn-3GizCwo6cgaB-nztsmkQgfoot0F7HQAm8n81ybs4BCY2DE_Dg==) - Our first ever! Please share this broadly, and please Support WRAP's work this Spring.


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Click here
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Here is WRAP 2016 Annual Report, even though it is the first one we have done in the 12 years WRAP has been in existence! But we thought this year, more than ever, it was important to remind ourselves just how powerful a force we can be when we all come together to celebrate our collective strength and our hearts.

When we truly embrace a human rights context to our system of governance, then homelessness, racism, classism, people dying of clearly preventable causes, people in prison for profits... all these manifestations of fear and greed will be relics of our past.

With your support we have built a powerful organizing force with amazing artwork, inclusive campaigns, indisputable research and a dedication to Human Rights that we are very very proud of.

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[pastradamus]

I worked in a homeless shelter before. Basically; you are talking about a multitude of people, all with different perspectives, addictions, attractions, attritions as well as some mentally-ill people.

In Ireland, the summoned-demon of homelessness is the Alcoholic street-vagrant. This is a guy who drinks alcohol and can't function without it. This person is becoming increasingly common due to this disgusting recession (that I still maintain is ongoing from my experience). In the shelter, the alcohol guys were mostly harmless, you usually got them to bed and in one piece, they talked a lot of shit but rarely enacted upon their claims.

Then there were the "junkies". These people rapidly increased after the 2008 recession here in Ireland, again, reactions from them varied depending on individual personalities. Some guys used to attack the alcoholics on "dole-days" - When social welfare payments were made, to steal their money - Very unpredictable people but under the spell of a horrid substance, it's not them, its the drug.

Psychological cases: The most dangerous people. Sometimes drugs, sometimes not. These people just need medical help.

OTHERS: There ARE other strange people I've met. One are the Roma Gypsy population here in Cork. They have a culture of begging, pick-pocketing and pan-handling. Due to racial bias but also due to these people's willingness to simply live off the welfare state - this included free housing, clothing, appliances, child-benefit monies, social welfare payments and Christmas social-welfare bonus' without ever considering working; but to base yourself entirely on this is to concede what the right-wing attack regularly states-"Spongers", "Cheats", "Scumbags" and it's attractive for a working class man/woman who goes to work everyday and is not entitled to this level of support from the Irish state to have some distaste for them, as well as having to contribute their taxes in this fashion. The mistake here is seeing it in this light...and not the fact this is CULTURAL and will change and I've witnessed this changing. I've seen completely legitimate Roma working and involving themselves in small business and participate in the Irish school system, we'll get their best eventually. In saying all that, it was difficult to hand these people blankets at night (but we did as we treat everyone the same), knowing they kicked local legitimate beggars off their spots physically (because they were in good places for begging) and went back to their comfortable, state-funded homes. I speak from experience, not prejudice...but this is a generational issue and I believe they'll become proper working class in time and thankfully, already are.

I also happened upon some extremely interesting odd-sorts. One guy was a gambling addict. He used to pan-handle just so he could place a bet in a local betting shop (always the same shop bizarrely). The man said "I feel the same as the alcoholics or heroin-addicts when they take a 'hit'. He's the reason I don't gamble.

The most distressing man I ever met in my life was homeless. He was special, because he had no addictions whatsoever. Many moons ago this man was a successful accountant, he had a beautiful Wife & Daughter. One day his wife gets cancer and dies, A year later his daughter dies also. He spends every night sleeping on their graves, never (to my knowledge) pan-handles....and people just bring him stuff out of respect for his loss. Every night he tents-up and stays with them in the graveyard and god nor man can convince him otherwise (everyone tried).

To answer the OP. YES. You should give money to the homeless but do your utmost to establish who these people are. Talk to them if you can, but be wary because they can jump out of their shell suddenly (drugs, alcohol do that), if you give these people respect they mostly return it and we're taken people off the streets and put them in good jobs.

Ask yourself this question : "If I was homeless would I want Joe or Jane Doe to give me some spare-change?"....The answer is of course yes. Homeless people are just like us here comrades, its a very thin line and some of the most intelligent people I've ever met tapped cups and begged.

[ckaihatsu]

[S]imply live off the welfare state - this included free housing, clothing, appliances, child-benefit monies, social welfare payments and Christmas social-welfare bonus' without ever considering working; but to base yourself entirely on this is to concede what the right-wing attack regularly states-"Spongers", "Cheats", "Scumbags"


I think you're describing the *mainstream* / 'nationalist' viewpoint here -- among ourselves it shouldn't matter *at all* how people manage to make their living within capitalism, as long as it's not directly hurting others in the process. What matters infinitely *more* is what people are doing regularly for (revolutionary) politics, to cut against the bourgeois world and worldview.

[pastradamus]

I think you're describing the *mainstream* / 'nationalist' viewpoint here -- among ourselves it shouldn't matter *at all* how people manage to make their living within capitalism, as long as it's not directly hurting others in the process. What matters infinitely *more* is what people are doing regularly for (revolutionary) politics, to cut against the bourgeois world and worldview.

Yes indeed, this is exactly what I am doing. It really pains me but you can't help sometimes feel this way. When you worked helping the homeless you said to yourself "here I am, helping people who need to beg for a living and here these people are, doing it out of choice", however, when you do take a step back and analyse this you come to the conclusion that these people are just lumpenproletariat and no REAL harm to a society that exploits everyone - collectively, including them. I'm simply trying to explain how one feels working in this area, and I'll never be one to say "you shouldn't help the homeless, you're only giving them money and not fixing the problem". Apolgies, ckaihatsu, I should have redressed that in my opening post.

[Le Libérer]

My thoughts on this has always been, if giving homeless people a few bucks keeps them warm at night because they went out and bought alcohol, then so be it. I was taught later it is more beneficial to get them to shelters or places that offer resources such as obtaining IDs, helping them get access to mental health services etc. I'm not always comfortable allowing a stranger in my car so I usually just empty out the bottom of my purse with all my change and hope that gets them through another day,

[pastradamus]

My thoughts on this has always been, if giving homeless people a few bucks keeps them warm at night because they went out and bought alcohol, then so be it. I was taught later it is more beneficial to get them to shelters or places that offer resources such as obtaining IDs, helping them get access to mental health services etc. I'm not always comfortable allowing a stranger in my car so I usually just empty out the bottom of my purse with all my change and hope that gets them through another day,

Indeed comrade, you have spent your life helping people.