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What do you do when homeless folks ask for money? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 1 day ago by bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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This is becoming more common in my town. I just either feel like an ass saying I dont have cash, or lying, but I also can't be giving out 20's to everyone who asks.

I feel bad for most of them but at the same time I get anxiety walking down the sidewalk and seeing someone up ahead that I know is going to ask me for money. Its not like you can say "oh no, I donate to services that help the needy" because that person isn't necessarily being helped by that. And ignoring completely feels so mean, plus I tried that one time and the person was screaming at me as i walked away that I ignored them.

I also dont want my city to round them up and send them to prison camps, something they are planning and that I know a lot of people would vote for just to "get rid of them" but im not supporting that at all.

Its tough.

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[-] justOnePersistentKbinPlease@fedia.io 7 points 1 day ago

Ignore them.

My city has the programs in place for them to get off the street. All they need to do is go into a program that will get them off drugs and to not use drugs in the provided apartments.

As such, if they are on the street, it is because they value drugs over living.

[-] Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone 9 points 1 day ago

“Just don’t be an addict bro” is a non-solution to homelessness re: no drug use in apartments. Relapse is a normal and expected part of addiction, and expecting them to be perfect or they lose their housing is a great way to make people more likely to relapse.

[-] justOnePersistentKbinPlease@fedia.io 5 points 1 day ago

Oh no, about 80% of them when asked refuse the housing outright. Its not a matter of them slipping through the very real cracks.

Its that they want to do drugs. Also note: it wasnt do zero drugs. It was dont do drugs in the provided housing. We have safe injection sites for that.

[-] Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 day ago

Can I get a source on any of those claims?

80% of people refusing free housing is suspect if literally the only condition is ‘don’t do drugs in it’ and there are safe injection spots nearby. Safe injection spots don’t help someone who has to take 2 buses and an hour to get there.

[-] zeropointone@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

To be fair - there are also homeless people who never did drugs or drank (or gambled and so on) in the first place. Because of that they actually don't qualify for any of those programs.

this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2025

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