@david1590 Welcome to the community!
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Welcome @david1590
The problem with the supporting agencies is where their funding comes from.
For background, I was homeless in 99-2000, never panhandled, was actually run out of areas BY panhandlers who got in their cars at the end of the day and went home with their free money!
I drug myself out of that situation with help from family and determination.
Now my taxes are being used to support those same panhandlers who wouldâve let me starve/freeze to death in the gutterâŠ.
Please be careful with your generosity.
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I donât know what the homeless situation is like in other states, but in California, my encounters with âthe homelessâ have made me a little hard hearted. In my youth, I was generous to both individuals directly and charities that seemed to be focused on doing good. Then I saw the drugs involved so I started buying gift cards for sandwich shops or fast food restaurants. They got mean real quick. âI donât want that. Give me cash!â And in the Bay Area, those encounters could turn violent very quick, so it was best to not even make eye contact which usually only resulted in them yelling after you passed by.
I got involved in various âcharitiesâ to find some with leadership who were taking in large salaries while volunteers did all the work. One had pretty much all the monetary donations going into their pockets but food and toiletry donations would be distributed. So no more monetary donations from me. But volunteering at various organizations was difficult as well because so many people who came in for food or clothing were just selfish assholes. From time to time Iâd come across someone who seemed genuinely in need of assistance. But there just seemed to be a massive disconnect between people in need vs those who were taking the bulk of the food, clothing, toiletries, etc. The more time I spent trying to help, the more it seemed like a waste of time and the people who were actually in need and could benefit were a needle in the haystack.
But then there was a time I was on a commuter train coming back from work and a stoned homeless dude started talking to a woman that he said he almost didnât recognize. Long story short, she got help, got a job, and was now living in an apartment. The stoned dude was talking about their homeless encampment by the river and wanted her to come back and party with them like the âgood old daysâ. She wanted nothing to do with him and said sheâs doing good now and had no interest in going back. I would go out of my way to help people like her. But I wonât give a penny to someone who chooses to be homeless because enough people give him money for drugs.
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Will,
I am sorry you had to experience that
I helped (3) Vetâs get back on their feet
(But, I KNEW them) sorta
They werenât guyâs off the street
They were attached to units I worked with @ one
time or another.
I am NOT saying give to EVERY panhandler you encounter
(and give away $10K a year sheeeeesh!)
Always taking a topic to the extreme Mark697 alwaysâŠ
what I am saying is (just for me) I help Vetâs when I can
I donât give to street hustlers.
I donate to âWounded Warriorsâ also, I trust them.
Just like anything else you have to use discernment when helping.
Mi dos pesos
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Yes, there are legitimate homeless who just need a foothold to get out of that situation.
Many of them will never ask for that help, I never did, even though I knew I needed it.
My point is to be careful with oneâs generosity, make sure donations go to reputable organizations, and any direct help is to someone who actually needs it.
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I concur Brother,
I really do.
But just because the world (and .gov) is going side wayâs
doesnât mean WE have to go there too.
If you canât help , you canât help. You need to be there for yourself and your family, I get that.
And giving to strangers on the streets is dangerous. You flash cash and you could be attacked for all of it, your watch, car keys, walletâŠit could get really nasty.
There are seriously crazy people out there today (some even own homes!) 
But there are people like you who simply needed a hand up.
And the Vetâs who gave of themselves deserve that from me.
Iâm not rich, I also donât have a âSavior complexâ
But I DO have a soft spot for Men and Women who served.
If we all gave a little more care to each other this world could be a better place.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/broadway-actors-michael-stuhlbarg-and-john-cardoza-latest-victims-of-new-york-city-crime/ar-BB1kTJYW?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=5d317753a35044bf9c442bb2affc5d9d&ei=13
UPDATE: TWO actors in NYC attacked in separate incidents by Pan Handlers(crazies?)⊠Both survived⊠Just sayinâ
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Jim80, thanks for sharing your views and experiences. I agree with much of what concluded/experienced with the homeless.
Iâve served on the board of and given money to a local charity in my county that focuses on providing a variety of services to indigent individuals â food, help with transportation, housing assistance, utilities, job searching, etc. About half of the annual expenditures of that charity are food assistance. In addition, my wife was the executive director for the Habitat for Humanity affiliate in my little Colorado county. The Habitat model requires that families who receive a Habitat home with a 0% mortgage (yes, Habitat homes have a mortgage associated with them), go through financial education, hold a job, and contribute a minimum number of âsweat equityâ hours building their home alongside Habitat volunteers.
You stated, âFrom time to time Iâd come across someone who seemed genuinely in need of assistance. But there just seemed to be a massive disconnect between people in need vs those who were taking the bulk of the food, clothing, toiletries, etc.â I share that view. In my view, oneâs position in life is the culmination of life choices an individual makes and itâs difficult for others to be sympathetic for those poor life choices. Sure, people can have a bout of bad luck or be debilitated by untreated mental illness like those you see on the streets speaking to voices. But, choose to be uneducated and not take advantage of the myriad of educational opportunities this county provides â then expect to be jobless, maybe homeless and poor. Choose to take and become addicted to drugs and alcohol â poverty, crime and life on the streets is also in your future. Get pregnant (or get someone pregnant) as a teenager â welcome to the ranks of impoverished America.
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Will-B thatâs why Debbie ann doesnât let me have very much money when I met her 14 years ago we went shopping and their was people asking for money and I was giving them ten here and five there and twenty there and after we got home she said I had to get a bag of ice . And I only had a hundred dollar bill hid and she said that I had given away over five hundred dollars . And I told her that person was needing money and she knew that person and she took me by their home and they had a mansion and they were all working for that person that first asked me for money we a sad story !! And when I give them money they had more people coming to ask me !! So Debbie ann keeps the money KAZ she can say no thanks and I donât have any money to give an itâs hard for me to not help people who need help . I felt terrible when she knew that person who was rich from people just like me. Now we have !! Make a.WISH. Found dashion. And SHINERS. And. UNIDED.RENGENAL. Home Less. Childrenâs Hospital. To donate to . And . Debbie ann will let me buy GASS for people or dinner . But she will not let me have money to give people to . Have a mansion !! Or to buy DRUGS. And alcohol. She. I VERY SMART WHEN IT COMES TO GAMES FOR CASH. I thought she was just greedy till she showed me the . MANSHION .they have a business . And they are not poor . They have crutches 
and signs that they are stranded. And they are criminals .SHE HAS CHANGED HOW I LOOK AT . BULL.crap. I thought I . Knew cons not when they bring kids and baby strollers. Watch out KAZ they had been fooling me for years. UNTIL .Debbie ann took care of the money . Now I have money. And Debbie ann holds it. She pays with the credit card . And she gets great deals on so much things that . She showed me a lot of money that was all mine KAZ she watched it for me and I still give to 3 .CHERITYIES AND MAKE A WISH I MY FAVORITE . And STJUDE. She . Got the answer message thing and she made me go down to twenty dollars a month KAZ I really want to give them but. People really do scam people and they are criminals and you have to be careful . Who you give to Debbie ann . Does research on the children hospital and the places that we give are real . And not criminals. .SO I WE GIVE TO . Where they are truly in need . I feel better . No one wants to be ripped off. . So I am proud that we help and support little children and I have plenty of money left over to help my family . So if you are like me and canât say no have some one hold on to.Your money and you will be surprised how much money you still have . I have money and I still help the children. Lots more love Bobby jean and Debbie ann. 
HERE IS A ROOT BEER 
FOR DOING THIS RIGHT. Verafiy.
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DON102 my MOMA and my self were going to the v.A. Hospital. And I was visiting a . BROTHER THAT WAS IN VERY BAD SHAPE AND I MET SO MANY VETERANS AND I GOT A LIST OF THINGS THAT THEY TRULY NEEDED AND MY MOMA AND MY SELF. GOT CLOTHES AND THINGS THAT THEY NEEDED AND EVERYTHING WAS GOING FINE AND SOME CHAPLAIN. LIEUTENANT. 
WAS AGAINST. US . BECAUSE THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE MY BROTHER A BIOPSY THAT WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM. AND I TOLD HIM . THAT AND HE WOULD LIVE IF HE DID NOT GET THE BIOPSY. AND THAT MADE THEM MAD. AND HE WOULD . NOT DIE . AND BECAUSE WE TOLD HIM WHAT WE FOUND OUT HE CANCELED. THE BIOPSY. AND THE LIEUTENANT. CHAPLAIN. TOLD US TO LEAVE. AND TAKE EVERYTHING WE BOUGHT FOR OUR VETERANS. .AND WE HAD THINGS FROM FIVE DIFFERENT CHURCHES. And. THE BLESSINGS FROM THE FAMILIES OF OTHER VETERANS. THIS WAS THE SADDEST . I . HAVE EVER FELT. THE CHAPLAIN. . CALLED THE . POLICE. AND HAD US . TO WHERE WE COULD ONLY SEE CECIL. AND THEY TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING THAT WE HAD BROUGHT TO THE VETERANS HOSPITAL. And THE FAMILIES . GAVE US PERMISSION TO SEE THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. .IT STARTED WITH ONE VETERAN WHO WE KNEW. AND THEY WERE SO MAD. Because. BY CECIL. MY.FRIEND AND BROTHER. AND ALL THE GOOD . FROM . SO MANY CHURCHES. That. THEY . WERE. DOING OUR VETERANS . SO BAD. THAT THEY. WERE. BEING MISTREATED TO SAY THE LEAST. AND THEIR WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO ABOUT THIS. CECIL. GOT THE BIOPSY. That. HAD HE NOT GOT HE WOULD HAVE LIVED. IT WAS UNNECESSARY. OUTHER THEN . KILLED HIM . AND HE DID NOT WANT IT. AFTER HE WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD KILL HIM. AND . THE VETERANS HOSPITAL. THE VERY SAME ONE. HAD A VETERAN . IN THE . LOBBY . POUR A GALLON OF GASOLINE ALL OVER HIM SELF AND . LIGHT HIS SELF ON FIRE. THATS WHAT I SEEN. AND MY MOMA. AT THE WORST . VETERANS HOSPITAL . EVER. DON. This is . STRAIGHT OUT OF A HORROR SHOW. SO UPSETTING. THEY JUST DID NOT . GIVE A SHITTf. WE COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS COULD EVER HAPPEN. AND IT DID . This. IS HOW OUR VETERANS HAVE BEEN TREATED . SIR .
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THE VETERANS.HOSPITAL. .WHERE THE . VETERAN. THAT POURED. FUEL. ALL OVER .HIS.SELF. AND. LIT 
. HIS SELF ON FIRE.WAS THE .AMARILLO. TEXAS. VETERANS.HOSPITAL. HE. WAS. AN. ARMY.VETERAN. AND THE DATE. WAS. JUNE.29,19,91. AND . THIS IS THE SAME VETERANS .HOSPITAL. THAT . THE CHAPLAIN . ASKED ME.AND MY.MOMA. TO. LEAVE. BECAUSE .WE HAD. TOLD MY FRIEND THAT WAS THERE. .THAT WAS . GOING TO GET . AN UNNECESSARY . BIOPSY. THAT WAS GOING TO KILL HIM. IF .HE WAS TO GET IT . HE WOULD HAVE DIED ON THE TABLE. WHEN. WE FOUND THIS OUT . WE TOLD HIM. AND WHEN HE TOLD . V.A. HE DID NOT WANT TO GET . THE BIOPSY. BECAUSE . IT WAS JUST GOING TO KILL HIM. THE V.A. WAS. SO MAD. THAT THEY.ASK MY MOMA AND ME TO .LEAVE. THAT . SAME WEEK. THIS. TROUBLED. VET. BURNED HIS.SELF. ALIVE. MY MOMA AND I HAD BEEN GOING TO VISIT THE VETS AND GOT THE LIST. OF THINGS. THAT THEY NEEDED. AND AFTER. TELLING CECIL. ABOUT. NOT GETTING THE UNNECESSARY. BIOPSY. WE . WERE . NO LONGER. WELCOME. TO. BRING . THE VETERANS . THE THINGS THAT THEY NEEDED. . THIS IS TRULY. VERY VERY . SAD. Love Bobby jean . .
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Mark 697, sir you make me sad. SIR .!!! You have all the answers for why people are homeless and what they did wrong and all the bad choices that they made . Thatâs not right. Sir . I listen to all your RESONS THAT WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE HOMELESS . Like you are running the mission of mark. Chapter .mark. Verse . BULL CRAP. And thatâs sad you have condemned this people as thou you have walked in their shoes. And you have said everything that you believe is why they are homeless. !!! I . Keep hearing about people . Saying that they work here and they worked there and for this reason and for that reason . And on and on. And you believe you know everything about every one that is on the streets with no place to go. . Have you ever spent the night in a park with the homeless. Have you spent time with people who are on the street not for money . Just to try and understand whatâs happening in their lives . Have you ever went to a park and gave away hot dogs and . Talked to the people who are on the street. And got the reason from the people who are stranded. . I have . I know if you donât have Iâd. You can not even get on a bus to get home . No matter if you have money for a bus ticket . You need identification to rent a motel room. I have met so many people . Who no falt of their own they canât get home . Till they get identification. In Texas you canât get a bus ticket or a motel room . Not everyone that is homeless did anything wrong but get robbed and beaten up . There is a park in WF TEXAS THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE . Been left . Or they just had some thing bad happen to them and their family can not afford to come get them till they get their retirement check. So they stay a the park till they get there money sent . With a birth certificate. To get identification. Not everyone is to blame for being homeless. Have you ever let someone you donât know take a shower and pay for it .your self?? Or were they just no good enough but to be. What you decided. Just wondering. Seriously. Wondering. Is everyone just not right because they are homeless to night. 
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To share this with everyone I was very troubled . How our veterans are being treated Cecil was having that issue Because they needed his room. . No outher RESON. Veterans are SO OVER LOOKED AND NOT TREATED RIGHT. I. HAVE LOST SO MANY BROTHERS. Because they are . HURTING . And . When your spirit. .IS INJURED. . HOPELESS. Can Feel your heart. And itâs nothing that anyone DONE WRONG. Outher than . The military Does not . CARE AFTER THEY GOT ALL THEY COULD FROM OUR WARRIORS. . This is shameful .because our government can take care of illegals and our veterans. Are mistreated. You serve your country you deserve . To be treated. Like you . ARE SPECIAL. Just telling a soldier thanks for your service is so important and that we are proud of them is . AMERICAN they should have extra . Because with out them we would have nothing. Mark . I donât . Mine if you disagree with me a soldier. Fought and some died to give you the right to disagree just like I disagree with your . Homeless . Bull crap its ok . Mark someone . STOOD UP . To defend our rights . And thank goodness . KAZ I definitely donât agree with anything you have said . And they .fought to give âŠUS. They never fought to be homeless. I . Am . Thank full for every one that has . Defended our .FREEDOM. . Mark . HAD OUR VETERANS NOT FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM. You could never say that . CRAP. About HOMELESS. And what you think about it. No root beer for mark. . Not every one homeless. Is . A bad person. And lots of homeless people itâs not their fault. A hand up. Is not A HAND OUT. Sir.
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And what work have you done or are doing to assist the homeless?
When was the last time you showed up at a Habitat build site?
Do you serve as a volunteer or board member or contributor to a charity that feeds the homeless or provides other services?
MARK697, YOU . Seriously. Need to .SET YOUR HORN DOWN. . I WILL NEVER DEGRADE. THE GREATEST GUNNERS .EVER. YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO HEAR EVEN THEIR NAMES. LET ALONE. THEIR. PAIN. YOU MAKE ME.SAD MARK.,697. TO SPEAK TO YOU. ABOUT. THE .LOVE .THAT I HAVE . MARK. ITS NOT ABOUT WHAT I HAVE . DONE FOR MY . BROTHERS. ITS. THE LOVE. THEY HAVE .DONE.AND SHOWEN. FOR. ME. . THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE. YOU ARE .ABOUT. HOW GREAT YOU ARE . SIR . . I .AM ALL ABOUT . HOW GREAT THEY. WILL .ALWAYS.BE. MARK.697. 
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Mark 697 the GRATE SPIRIT. KNOWS. ALL THINGS.
in my town panhandlers are not allowed to walk up to you and ask for money, standing on the corner is fine with a sign is ok. i know some of them make 100âs why work.i will help vetâs take them to county CVSO office or the va for treatment but i will not give out any money ever.
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Amazing how we never know how active a post can get. There are some interesting documentaries on homelessness.
âLamont At Largeâ helps us get a brief glance into a life weâd normally not see this side of:
Stay safe friends.
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We actually have it pretty good in this country. In many countries youâre basically attacked by poor people as you walk out the door of a restaurant or hotel. Iâve had a tribe of youths surround me and literally put their hands in my pants pockets demanding money in some places in South America.
Weâll get there soon enoughâŠ
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We are now living in a âFailed Stateâ (Country)
Whatever we had to be proud and Free will soon be
GONE if we donât wise up and RISE up.
If ANYONE thinks we will âmake itâ till the Election
is in serious denial .
President Trump said it best today
âWe are ALL living in Border States!â
Itâs INFECTED ALL 50 !
God be with US all.
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Oh, Weâll make it alright, it just might not look like we might have hoped it would.
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