<p>School is in an urban environment with median household income of $39,000. Many of the students come from surrounding suburbs without the opportunity to develop street smarts in their earlier, sheltered lives.</p>
<p>There’s a particular bridge that connects two of the campuses where a lot of robberies and assaults of students took place. The city owned the bridge and didn’t spend the money to maintain it well. The bridge is a four-lane bridge but only accommodates two or three lanes because of weight issues. The school recommended that students use shuttle buses or walk in groups but even groups of students could get robbed.</p>
<p>Eventually, much better lighting was put in along with police call boxes and maybe security cameras. I don’t recall who paid for this stuff - it might have been the school. The bridge is going to be replaced in a year or two and the city would like the school to buy and maintain the bridge. The school has bought up a lot of real estate in the city. The school is essentially the biggest business in the city and kids worrying about personal safety would not be a good thing for the city.</p>
<p>I will buy cans of tuna, beans, meat products or whatever may be in the clearance bin, often slightly dented cans for dirt cheap. I put an inexpensive (less than $1) can opener and a packet of plastic utensils and several cans of food into a plastic grocery bag and will hand those out. I am hoping whatever they don’t eat they may give to somebody else.</p>
<p>parent1986, I do not believe for a minute that the folks that say they are out of gas are really out of gas. One guy who was out of gas was also on the phone with either his drug dealer or some guy who he owed money to. After I refused, he picked up the phone and said “did you hear that? I can’t pay you today like I told you”, and then got in his car and drove off. I was pretty sure that he told me it was out of gas. As he left, I watched him because I was rather flabbergasted with the whole situation, so he sticks out his hand and flips me off because I wouldn’t give him money. So no, I don’t know if he was homeless or not, and I do not care. But I don’t assume that he was homeless.</p>
<p>Sure, there are some who are homeless and it’s obvious. But probably 80% of the people who have asked me for money in the last month or two do not appear to be homeless: They drive cars, their cars do not appear to double as their home, they aren’t dressed in shambles. So I don’t think they’re all homeless.</p>
<p>A couple of years ago there was a local news channel who did a report on people asking for money on freeway (oops, they call them highways here) off ramps. They had video of one person who stood there 8 hrs./day and then walked a couple of blocks down, got into their BMW and drove away. Disgusting doesn’t begin to describe it.</p>
<p>When I give, I feel stupid. When I don’t give, I feel guilty. Intellectually, I believe the best thing to do is to give money to organizations that really help the homeless, rather than to individuals, a large percentage of whom (in my opinion) are scammers. But I still feel bad when I refuse. But one note, on the following:
I have been approached by lots of people for money, but people who fit the description above hardly ever ask for money, in my experience. They rarely interact with anybody. The people I most often see begging have a small backpack.</p>
<p>In my extremely cynical post, I didn’t mention what I actually do, to avoid the “I’m better off than they are” guilt: I donate to local organizations that work with the homeless and indigent. My favorite in Portland is an organization called Outside In, which works with homeless youth (age 25 and under) to help them get a GED, provide meals and shelter, and so on. Many of them work in a dog day care center operated by the organization, where they teach them employable skills.</p>
<p>We have a several people that have been camping out at an intersection at the border between NH and MA that’s also at a busy intersection for a mall. It’s not a particularly upscale mall but it does have a lot of car traffic. There’s usually a girl at the intersection with a cardboard sign and a backpack and she stands there in cold and hot weather. She is dressed reasonably well and appears trim. She does not approach cars - she just takes what people offer her. It appears to work for her.</p>
<p>There are sometimes others at the intersection and sometimes they use the same approach and sometimes they are a little more aggressive.</p>
<p>Decades before Slumdog Millionaire my mother would warn us about the recruitment techniques, and what actually happened to the money that you gave to the front-line child. So we’re kind of programmed not to give to individuals. Are there people for whom this gift would be the most effective way to address their hunger or other basic needs - of course, but I have no way of knowing this, and I’d tend to share EFL’s line of reasoning for many of these people.</p>
<p>My car locks automatically, & we don’t have aggressive panhandlers. Very often I don’t generally give money because I don’t carry it, although I do buy the Real Change paper from vendors.</p>
<p>About 19% of homeless have jobs in our area, this % is even higher in other areas. In Nashville 44% have jobs. However this count was just of those people living in transitional shelters, they didn’t poll people living on the street/ in vehicles.
We also have a higher % of homeless who are mentally ill, which I am always aware of, as I live in an urban area & walk most places. I have not been harassed, but I always try & stay alert & give a wide berth to groups of rowdy people.( including Hipsters )
[Survey</a> finds fewer homeless with jobs - seattlepi.com](<a href=“http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Survey-finds-fewer-homeless-with-jobs-1294719.php]Survey”>http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Survey-finds-fewer-homeless-with-jobs-1294719.php)
[Real</a> Change News | Home](<a href=“http://www.realchangenews.org/]Real”>http://www.realchangenews.org/)
Thank you to OP for starting this thread, as it reminds me to carry some cash so I can give to people in need. ( from which group I disregard the people who just need a bus ticket to Tacoma)</p>
<p>The problem is to identify those who are real hungry, who are in real need. Most of the beggers are NOT, that is preventing me from giving.</p>
<p>I also refuse to give to those charities that have high overheads. In some cases the organization take over 50% of the giving, that is highway robbery.</p>
<p>I ran out to buy TP yesterday before a snowstorm hit. I planned to stay home all day making soup and bread, cleaning, doing laundry, etc. I was wearing sweat pants and a jacket with big pockets so I could stash my phone, wallet, etc. AND I need a haircut.</p>
<p>A girl, maybe college age, came up to me outside the store and gave me a dollar. I know I looked confused but she just smiled and said she wanted me to have it, she knew I was a nice person. ??</p>
<p>My point here is if you do give to people who appear pathetic at least wait for them to ask!</p>
<p>Reminds me of when I ran in to a Whole Foods in Santa Barbara. Myself, daughter and dog had just been to the beach on a windy rainy day. D was wearing oldest sweats and had borrowed my oversized jacket. She waited outside the door with dog, and two people offered to give her money. Even the employees had come out and offered her some cheese samples (dog was very appreciative). If I am ever homeless I will move to Santa Barbara.</p>
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