I live in a small town and haven't seen someone asking/needing money since moving here from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in 1986. There we saw them often, usually along the beach. We have homeless who have a place to go to sleep at night, but they cull the dumpsters (garbage bins) for things to sell. The Salvation Army serves lunch daily and some churches serve dinners. The resident Pastor at our local college offers a dinner every Monday night during Fall and Winter semesters for anyone who feels like joining for religious fellowship. We don't see many who have nothing and nowhere to go, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

Almost never carry any cash to give away.

The area I live in has a real problem with panhandlers... The local government put up signs on almost every intersection asking people not to donate to them, and includes phone numbers to call for help. Hard to feel sorry for someone sitting under a sign with instructions on what to do if you're homeless.

I live in a mecca of the West, a hotbed of tolerance in the midst of the bibibble belt.
I expect to be homeless one day due to persecution of baby boomers. I try to make friends for when I join them.

Not money, but my daughter has friends who volunteer at a homeless shelter. Occasionally she asks me to donate something that is urgently needed by someone there, shoes, coat, whatever.

I give to beggars when I have the means to do it. I am poverty stricken myself, so I do not have much to offer at times.

If somebody has the fortitude to stand by the stop sign on a xway off-ramp in cold rainy weather they must really need it. I give a buck or so.

It depends.I was at a pet store last week and a begger was out side with his dog. I did not trust the begger but felt sorry for the dog and gave the guy a whole case of caned dog food.

I do not judge. Need is need.

Near where I live by the freeway there are always people standing out with a sign, homeless etc. I don't. I always think are they are going to buy booze or drugs with the days money. Now I understand the concept it's not my business, just give but its my money. Going and buying crappy fast food is no better. They need to go to Health and Human Services and get help. They can get them help.

No, but I've taken food to beggars, though.

I’m pretty much broke because of, well, capitalism. I carry a case, or at least several bottles, of water in the passenger compartment of our work truck. When we hit a red light in Houston, especially in the spring and summer, I’ll give them a bottle or two. Costs me less and it’s a fundamental need, especially in the miserable, humid, mosquito infested, drenching, lingering, inescapable misery that is the Houston area all times from a few weeks before the vernal equinox until several weeks after the autumnal equinox. Sucks here outside.

I give to those that I perceive are honest, but there are a few scammers in my town that I shun.

When I see and read about the needles and other drug paraphernalia I don't give because it doesn't help.

I give out dog food to those with dogs obviously. I always carry food in my trunk, along with toothpaste and stuff for the human

I do. I only hope that I am never in their situation. I have given as much as 20$, and never less than 2$, and that was only because I was flat broke.

Yes, when I can afford it. Sometimes I really feel bad when I do not have anything to give.
I just feel pity for them. I think nobody should be brought to begging for survival.
And I consider beggars a major sign that something is wrong with society...

Having been homeless myself..yes I do..gladly.

I tend to look at them. The other day there was a guy begging that rode a $2000 bicycle to the spot to beg. It makes me mad that people who don't need help make it worse for those who do. If I think there in actual need yes.

I didn't used to, but I've gone soft over the years. I won't stop traffic to give a handout, but otherwise, I'll usually slide them a buck or two. They can get food at shelters, so I know they're going to use it for ciggs, alcohol or drugs. But who can blame them for that, really?

I was homeless and living in a shelter for 18 long months..for the 1st six months I carried 25# of clothes on my back..Not a fucking one of you Understand Exactly what it is to be Without a Home..you post your Happy questions about what it's like to be Atheist..Fuck You and your sorry ass White priviledged life..I survived Homelessness And cancer..a the same Fucking time..to read your sorry excusses to people begging is at best ..pathetic..at worst inhuman..The day of awakening is looming..you best know someone that can beg and live on the streets..cause it's about to fall on you're sorry asses..

Just don't have much to give. Plus no cash on me. If my life and circumstance were diffferent..but right now they're not

Sometimes. I think I do it because I can and my life really won't be altered by doing it. I get frustrated at times though because my life isn't always great.

I was recently deported from London England with 3 British pounds in my pocket and the clothes on my back. That really hasn't changed much but more money in my pocket and a job that beats me bad. The people that hit me up for change or cigarettes on my way to work have the very same chances as I do.
Sometimes I carry new guys at work but then I watch them buy weed or something useless with the little money they've just earned and it makes me furious. Not that they owe me because my gifts are gifts but the total disregard to their own circumstances.

Some homeless people don't want to stay in shelters because they aren't always safe. I'm not casting aspersions on people who volunteer at or work in shelters. They are too often underpaid, and shelters are often underfunded, at least in the US.

A dear friend is a social worker who works in a big city shelter for men recently released from prison. Some of the men being released shouldn't be. As far as I know, there's no way to reform a violent psychopath. A burly co-worker's arm was broken by one of these men, and more passive men are often bullied by them. There are more humane ways to incarcerate those who can not, at this time, be reformed. It doesn't help that the US prison system is broken.

Many shelters don't allow companion animals. A cat or dog might provide the only emotional support and regular companionship a homeless person gets, and might also provide protection. Most subsidized housing doesn't allow companion animals, so even if someone would get off the street and into their own place, they'd have to "surrender" their pet.

Why would someone with a pet not jump at the chance to get into housing and send their pet to a shelter? Many animal "shelters" in the US are more like death row. There may be an assessment/holding period, but if the animal is too old to be deemed easily adoptable, or a kitten under 8 weeks, off they go to be "euthanized" unless there are rescue organizations willing to foster. Euthanizaiton sounds painless and peaceful, but it often isn't.

It is impossible to fill out job applicatons without an address, and many businesses won't hire people wthout a car or telephone. If you don't have a place to wash, or facilities to wash your clothing, that's another impediment to getting a job.

"According to the 2010 SAMHSA report: 34.7% of all sheltered adults who were homeless had chronic substance abuse issues" That would seem to contradict the sentiment of so many who will not give to panhandlers or beggars because "they're just going to go spend it on drugs or alchool".

The Wikipedia article on homelessness in the US is accurate, as far as I can tell.

[en.wikipedia.org]

"Causes of homelessness in the United States include lack of affordable housing, divorce, lawful eviction, negative cash flow, post traumatic stress disorder, foreclosure, fire, natural disasters (hurricane, earthquake, or flood), mental illness, physical disability, having no family or supportive relatives, substance abuse, lack of needed services, elimination of pensions and unemployment entitlements, no or inadequate income sources (such as Social Security, stock dividends, or annuity), poverty (no net worth), gambling, unemployment, and low-paying jobs. Homelessness in the United States affects many segments of the population, including families, children, domestic violence victims, ex-convicts, veterans, and the aged."

So if I can afford to, I always give to beggars/panhandlers. When I had a working car, I picked up hitchhikers, too. Mass transit is nonexistent or has been gutted in many parts of the US.

Honestly depends. So many people out here hustling, it’s hard not to feel taken sometimes. There was this one guy who walked up on me leaving an atm. He gave me a sob story about just leaving a halfway house and not having a job and whatnot. I didn’t have anything to spare (it was rent money and I struggle myself) but I was trying not to be rude. Then he hit me with the “I’m not drinking anymore” line... and hit me harder with his alcohol breath. I lit his ass up I was so pissed! Anecdotal, I know, but it sums up how it sometimes feels like you’re getting played.