Street beggars

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by BigFatMeanie

Wow - $80K a year? I he panhandled every single day of the year, for 16 hours a day, he would still have to average nearly $14 per hour pan-handling in order to clear 80K. If we assumed that the dude panhandled only 6 days a week and for only 12 hours a day then the hourly rate goes up to $21 an hour. The people of Provo must be generous.

And trust me, it was anything but a full-time job. He had a nice gig going.

[Frank Ryan]

are homeless for just one stint. They had a rough go of things and need help getting back on their feet. Once they are there they lead more productive lives.But a chunk of the homeless population (around 10%) are chronically homeless. They are either mentally ill, severely disabled or homeless by choice. They drain most of the resources. The resources are hardest to access to for single men.

Many homeless have legitimate jobs but just shower and sleep in shelters.

I'm burying my lead, I give to panhandler sometimes, but I agree that the most bang for your charitable buck comes from supporting good outreach programs and shelters. The last thing I want to do is become so jaded that I can't feel compassion or concern when I see a beggar.

In Salt Lake, the church does quite a bit with one shelter called The Road Home.

[cougjunkie]

I was just in San Francisco the pan handling capital of the world.

They have the famous robot guys (painted completely silver and make noises like a robot as they move)

the famous bush man (he has two branches that he hides behind and as people walk by he scares them)

the honest panhandlers (they all have signs that say things like "Need booze" "Lets be honest i am a crack head and need money"

then the normal everyday pipe peddlers, this guy tried to sell me a pipe then when i said no he said "I will throw in a dime sack for you"

20/20 did a special on panhandlers about 7 years ago, they followed this guy he pulled up in a brand new 4 runner opened the back changed to dirty clothes then sat right next to it and begged for money. At the end of the day he changed his clothes back, got in his new car and drove to his house. He claimed the money on his taxes and made about 120-130k a year.

[ewth8tr]

What I love is the people who hang out in grocery store parking lots who go around telling people they ran out of gas and need to get back to some city 20-40 miles away by that night. There was one a couple days ago with a sign that read " Please help, I ran out of gas and need to get back to Pason by tonight to get my daughter from the daycare." I've seen that same lady every week there for a long time, always the same story but the city changes. I just told her she spelled Payson wrong and kept walking.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by ewth8tr

What I love is the people who hang out in grocery store parking lots who go around telling people they ran out of gas and need to get back to some city 20-40 miles away by that night. There was one a couple days ago with a sign that read " Please help, I ran out of gas and need to get back to Pason by tonight to get my daughter from the daycare." I've seen that same lady every week there for a long time, always the same story but the city changes. I just told her she spelled Payson wrong and kept walking.

I will admit that some of the signs are pretty creative. I saw one in San Francisco (the world headquarters of panhandlers, it appears) that read:

"Please help. Wife kidnapped and held for ransom and I am one dollar short."

[Black Diamond Bay]

The worst is when you see a panhandler outside of Wal Mart with a sign that says "Please help, homeless with children" and realize that the lady holding the sign is your drug addict aunt whose children are all now living with the oldest married daughter.

Okay, so I wasn't actually the one that saw her. One of my cousins called me in a frenzy to report what he'd seen on his lunch break one day.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

I will admit that some of the signs are pretty creative. I saw one in San Francisco (the world headquarters of panhandlers, it appears) that read:

"Please help. Wife kidnapped and held for ransom and I am one dollar short."

Reminds me of a bumper sticker,

"Please help, Wife kidnapped and held for ransom, kidnappers are ten dollars short. Don't give it to them."

[fusnik11]

I give a dollar everytime I have one, and everytime I am approached.

What's a dollar to me? I'm not rich by any stretch of the means, but figure, not to get too spiritual, that I willl be the ultimate begger and a dollar is a small price to pay to express a little bit of face to face compassion.

$20 a month, fast offerings, and quarterly contributions to charities, are all easily paid for by avoiding candy machines, pop machines and snacks while waiting in line to purchase groceries.

[fusnik11]

I give a dollar everytime I have one, and everytime I am approached.

What's a dollar to me? I'm not rich by any stretch of the means, but figure, not to get too spiritual, that I willl be the ultimate begger and a dollar is a small price to pay to express a little bit of face to face compassion.

$20 a month, fast offerings, and quarterly contributions to charities, are all easily paid for by avoiding candy machines, pop machines and snacks while waiting in line to purchase groceries.

[Black Diamond Bay]

Originally Posted by fusnik11

I give a dollar everytime I have one, and everytime I am approached.

What's a dollar to me? I'm not rich by any stretch of the means, but figure, not to get too spiritual, that I willl be the ultimate begger and a dollar is a small price to pay to express a little bit of face to face compassion.

$20 a month, fast offerings, and quarterly contributions to charities, are all easily paid for by avoiding candy machines, pop machines and snacks while waiting in line to purchase groceries.

What if we already avoid candy machines pop machines and snacks while waiting in line to purchase groceries?

Seriously though, I don't pay panhandler in the states at all ever. There are places for those people to go for help, and so I am generally suspicious that they're either a drug addict or it's a scam. Americans have no concept of real poverty IMO.