Homeless guy in a park

[Tone deaf]

So, I was doing some recon of inner city bars for future exploits (I like being off the beaten path). When I left, I paused for a refreshing tobacco product. While enjoying my smoke, I noticed a guy pacing around the park, across the street. He had a roller suitcase and was dressed for winter weather. I didn't have a lot of cash on me, but I had some. I walked over to him and said hello and told him that I would like to help him out and offered him all the cash I had (less than $50). He said "No thanks, I'm good." I asked him if he was sure and he confirmed that he was. He said that he had a place to go and that he was covered. I still think that he was sleeping in the park, but I can't make him do something he doesn't want to.

Regardless, it drives home the point of how fortunate most of us are.

 

[Fracture]

 

[skydog]

You have to be careful; one of the pitfalls of “giving away” money is feeding an addiction. If you really want to help, donate to a shelter or food bank.

 

[JTM45]

Great offer TD, it’s sucks to think how many will need some warm food and cover this winter, thank you for the reminder that have I some extra jackets, blankets, and a few bucks I need to give away.

I’m very grateful for the path I’ve been given to walk

 

[scott 351 wins]

I've been homeless before it sucks... slept in my car for a spell.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

yes it does suck.

some people never recover or get out of it.

and (imo) it scars you and haunts you a little bit. You're always worried it could happen again once you see just how easily and quickly it can happen.

 

[Mark V Guitars]

I wanted to help a transient out couple years back. He told me no. I asked why not...he said he was waiting on his ID card in the mail. I said and....

He had like 3 or 4 different things being deposited monthly but couldn't draw on it until he got the ID card...and then his bank would be able to issue him a new bank card.

It was quite a large sum. Weird.

 

[mtgguitar]

You have to be careful; one of the pitfalls of “giving away” money is feeding an addiction. If you really want to help, donate to a shelter or food bank.

For on the spot encounters, offer to buy the guy a burger and a drink. If he sneers at you and calls you a MF, walk away.

The poet Mary Karr had a homeless guy staying at the entrance to her building in NYC. On the way to a coffee shop, she offered to buy him breakfast. She gave him a sandwich, coffee and orange juice. He told her "I said I wanted a LARGE OJ." She replied beggars can't be choosers.

 

[Tone deaf]

You have to be careful; one of the pitfalls of “giving away” money is feeding an addiction. If you really want to help, donate to a shelter or food bank.

Agreed. This guy didn't look like an addict. He looked like my dad, with more hair.

 

[Tone deaf]

For on the spot encounters, offer to buy the guy a burger and a drink. If he sneers at you and calls you a MF, walk away.

The poet Mary Karr had a homeless guy staying at the entrance to her building in NYC. On the way to a coffee shop, she offered to buy him breakfast. She gave him a sandwich, coffee and orange juice. He told her "I said I wanted a LARGE OJ." She replied beggars can't be choosers.

The first thing he asked me was where i went to church.

 

[LtDave32]

I never have to look or hunt for somebody to give money to.

They are all around me and constantly asking for it.

 

[Tone deaf]

I never have to look or hunt for somebody to give money to.

They are all around me and constantly asking for it.

Agreed. This was totally on me. He was just minding his own business when I busted in. I lived in NYC for a long time, I understand what it means to be mauled by those who want more. He didn't want anything to do with what I was offering. I don't make a practice of trolling parks for the homeless.

 

[Sct13]

I have a story...I worked in an inner city trauma center as a registered nurse. We had the homeless in there all the time.

One day two teenaged girls brought a bleeding man into the triage area. He was around 70 years old, and not with it. It looked like he had been beaten up, but the girls said they saw him fall crossing the street and slammed his face into the curb. So we took him back and did all the stuff that we do to get him stabilized and off to x-ray. One thing you must do is a belongings inventory. Because this guy was going to get admitted and he had a cart load of stuff. Going through his bags, we started to run into 50 and 100 dollar bills. pretty soon there was a few thousand...so I stopped the count and got security, because this was a lot of cash....After getting more than one witness we counted $37,550 scattered through his bags of useless trash and his pockets, in his shoes and lined in his hat...!

So they are not all broke. Most have mental illness and just do not have the coping skills to tackle what we would call normal life.

that guy spent three days in the hospital, got all his stuff back. the hospital (social work) tried to convince him to get a bank account. He refused and was pissed as hell that he could not get his exact cash back....and I mean by each serial seral number, which he had a record of... the hospital must by law deposit anything over a certain amount (1000 ?) and cut a check at discharge.....the guy was not happy....

 

[GibsonKramer]

I never have to look or hunt for somebody to give money to.

They are all around me and constantly asking for it.

That's the truth!

My ex is nicer to me now, than when we were married.

Though, that probably ends when those child support payments end, next June.

 

[NewDayHappy]

I'll buy food, but no money.

 

[Frogfur]

You have to be careful; one of the pitfalls of “giving away” money is feeding an addiction. If you really want to help, donate to a shelter or food bank.

I can't wait til its your turn. I bet you'd have a different take.

 

[Fracture]

 

[SWeAT hOg]

So, I was doing some recon of inner city bars for future exploits (I like being off the beaten path). When I left, I paused for a refreshing tobacco product. While enjoying my smoke, I noticed a guy pacing around the park, across the street. He had a roller suitcase and was dressed for winter weather. I didn't have a lot of cash on me, but I had some. I walked over to him and said hello and told him that I would like to help him out and offered him all the cash I had (less than $50). He said "No thanks, I'm good." I asked him if he was sure and he confirmed that he was. He said that he had a place to go and that he was covered. I still think that he was sleeping in the park, but I can't make him do something he doesn't want to.

Regardless, it drives home the point of how fortunate most of us are.

We are so fortunate, we have time to aggressively bitch about things that don’t really affect us.

 

[defcrew]

Good for you and good for him, TD. A man's pride or sense of self worth is sometimes a fragile thing but something it is best to protect if possible.

 

[lunchbox]

If you were that generous living in my town, you’d go broke in a day. Even worse in Portland or Eugene.

I have me, my wife and 2 sons to take care of. I never give homeless people my money.