How to deal with panhandlers
- Thread starter Phil C. McNasty
- Start date
tell them to show up here......https://www.muslimwelfarecentre.com/causes/regent-park-lunch-service-7/
I don't mind giving some spare change to someone who's homeless, but if they get pushy I tell them to pull my finger.
Giving a little when you have a lot is good. For the grace of God any of us could have ended up on the streets.
I dont mind helping people out, but when they go spend all their money on crack then whats the point??
And yes I know not all homeless are junkies, but there's a lot that are
Ah well, so what if they spend the change on cooking wine or drugs. We all waste a lot.
For whatever reason, I think mostly mental illness, they are in a bad situation and need some help and empathy.
Personally, I think Toronto should do two things at the same time:
1. disallow people sleeping on the streets.
2. Provide decent accommodation for homeless people, like what is provided for students.
I saw a girl the other day when I was out grocery shopping. She was begging for money, but when heavy people would walk by, she would curse and scream at them for being fat while she’s “fucking starving to death!”. She also yelled at me when I walked by with my grocery bags.
Insulting people while begging. It’s a bold strategy, Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for her.
Also, a big issue is there are a lot of fakers. Panhandling can be surprisingly lucrative. There was this one dude near my old place, he was a dwarf, and he’d always be on the same corner begging. When he was “in character”, he’d be dirty and disheveled looking, and he’d talk with a raspy voice, and slur his words. I’d also see him driving around on a fancy-looking moped, wearing a leather jacket, sitting in restaurants in the area looking totally clean, talking on an iPhone in a perfectly clear voice, etc.
So shitty that people do that. Ruins it for the people who actually need help.
Insulting people while begging. It’s a bold strategy, Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for her.
Also, a big issue is there are a lot of fakers. Panhandling can be surprisingly lucrative. There was this one dude near my old place, he was a dwarf, and he’d always be on the same corner begging. When he was “in character”, he’d be dirty and disheveled looking, and he’d talk with a raspy voice, and slur his words. I’d also see him driving around on a fancy-looking moped, wearing a leather jacket, sitting in restaurants in the area looking totally clean, talking on an iPhone in a perfectly clear voice, etc.
So shitty that people do that. Ruins it for the people who actually need help.
When I was living in Halifax there was mentally challenged guy who went down to the Halifax waterfront every day and panhandled strumming a beat to shit guitar. I felt badly for his financial hardhip......until I looked in the bucket one day.One of those restaurant industrial white food buckets between quarter and half full of quarters, loonies and twoonies….easily $500.00- $700.00.Confirmed later,he lived with his mother in a $600,000 dollar home(nice for Halifax) and she dropped him off every morning for "work"
On the bolded out issue, the difference in me wasting a lot is because I WENT TO WORK FOR THAT MONEY I WASTED.
On your other 2 points, all we have to do is ask Justin WHY illegal refugees have hotel accommodations and OUR homeless CANT!
I personally don't like giving them money. If they have vices such as drugs I don't want to support that. What o usually do if possible is ask them would you like something to eat and drink and give it to them.
Of course you can't do that all the time since it seems there are more and more poor on the streets. For the community here what are your thoughts on this growing group? Many times it is young working age people on the streets too.
Of course you can't do that all the time since it seems there are more and more poor on the streets. For the community here what are your thoughts on this growing group? Many times it is young working age people on the streets too.
A smile and a toonie could save someone from killing themselves if they're having a really rough day, so I don't mind doing that for people who appear to be actually homeless or downtrodden.
As for the serial beggars/con artists who come up to you in the mall or hospital parking lot with some persistent sob story, they can fuck off.
There's one guy in my area who is apparently really bad at remembering faces, because I bump into him roughly every month and he always has the same EXACT story about his car needing gas.
As for the serial beggars/con artists who come up to you in the mall or hospital parking lot with some persistent sob story, they can fuck off.
There's one guy in my area who is apparently really bad at remembering faces, because I bump into him roughly every month and he always has the same EXACT story about his car needing gas.
Ah yes, that guy.
Or what about the guy who constantly needs TTC fare otherwise he cant get home
It sounds cold but “I don’t”.
I’m old enough to remember the squeegee kids in the 90’s and most of them were thornhill kids slumming it downtown to pay for their partying lifestyle. There was a moment I’ll remember when I was working some menial job, trying to make ends meet as one does in their early 20’s and a kid with leather Docs up to his knees asked me for $. I stopped, pointed out my work boots that had holes in them and I said “dude, you are wearing better shoes than me and I’m working for a living. Fuck no”
That much said, I do believe in charity, especially as you get older and more successful. I give to a charity that I researched well to make sure their administrative costs don’t take from the people they are supposed to be helping. I always recommend my friends to do the same.
There is a vast and extensive social safety net in Toronto so no, I don’t give to panhandlers. Anyone remember Toronto Sun columnist mike stobel who exposed the Shakey Lady on Bloor that was living in a half million dollar house with her family?
I’m old enough to remember the squeegee kids in the 90’s and most of them were thornhill kids slumming it downtown to pay for their partying lifestyle. There was a moment I’ll remember when I was working some menial job, trying to make ends meet as one does in their early 20’s and a kid with leather Docs up to his knees asked me for $. I stopped, pointed out my work boots that had holes in them and I said “dude, you are wearing better shoes than me and I’m working for a living. Fuck no”
That much said, I do believe in charity, especially as you get older and more successful. I give to a charity that I researched well to make sure their administrative costs don’t take from the people they are supposed to be helping. I always recommend my friends to do the same.
There is a vast and extensive social safety net in Toronto so no, I don’t give to panhandlers. Anyone remember Toronto Sun columnist mike stobel who exposed the Shakey Lady on Bloor that was living in a half million dollar house with her family?
Anyone remember the shakey lady?
Nobody needs money to ride the TTC. Just hop on through the back doors. I see so many people get on without paying every time I take it.
The panhandlers very rarely use the money for food as they are on social assistance for the most part, Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program which provides money for food and shelter. The panhandlers often use the money for alcohol or illegal drugs, the dealers know when the panhandlers shift is over and they then do a transaction. The panhandlers on ODSP often have mental health issues as well.
I don't live in Metro Toronto. Whenever I'm in town, I give a loonie to the first beggar I come across.
I pay the toll to the madman that stands guard at the gates of the city.
I pay the toll to the madman that stands guard at the gates of the city.
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No one needs to deal with panhandlers if they don't want to. Drugs or no drugs, it's a nasty way to make your money. If you make yours in a heated air-conditionerd office or plant sheltered from the rain, you're already superior.
Least you could do is give
Least you could do is give
I was walking out of a Pizza Pizza the other day and a woman asked me for money for a coffee. While I have broken this rule maybe half a dozen times in the past, I generally don't give money to panhandlers. I just go with a "sorry, no".
This particular woman caught my attention because I knew who she was. She's the sister of my brother's friend. I knew from a previous discussion with my brother, that she regularly panhandles in order to acquire money for meth.
There are other, more effective means of helping those who need it than giving money directly to them.
This is Canada. There is plenty of assistance out there. Enough assistance that no one should be in such dire straits as to need money from a random stranger to survive, though perhaps not in the most pleasant manner.
With the labour market being so tight at the moment, I feel like pretty much anyone could get a job if they put in half an effort. So don't feel bad for turning down panhandlers.
This particular woman caught my attention because I knew who she was. She's the sister of my brother's friend. I knew from a previous discussion with my brother, that she regularly panhandles in order to acquire money for meth.
There are other, more effective means of helping those who need it than giving money directly to them.
This is Canada. There is plenty of assistance out there. Enough assistance that no one should be in such dire straits as to need money from a random stranger to survive, though perhaps not in the most pleasant manner.
With the labour market being so tight at the moment, I feel like pretty much anyone could get a job if they put in half an effort. So don't feel bad for turning down panhandlers.
When I am in Toronto, I buy a book of MacDonalds coupons. When I encounter a panhandler I ask him/her if I can buy them lunch. If they say yes, I give them a coupon. Seventy percent say no thanks, and hand the coupon back to me. So much for wanting a free meal.
