Question About Homeless People at Walmart
 

When we cross 441/27 to go to Walmart, many days there are homeless people looking
for money or a handout.

Do you donate to their cause?

What's you opinion on them being there?

It’s a scam.
Watch them some day at the end of their shift when they are picked up.

We used to on occasion now too many of them are scammers.

My opinion is they can walk over to the Car Wash with the Help Wanted sign out front.

Interrupted one who got very aggressive with an older lady..

I use to, but I gave them, soap, tooth paste, tooth brush, some clothing, towel... hair combs... but they were mad at me??? wanted $$$ instead. I even gave them some breakfast with it. I started to bother me, when they would stand under a "help wanted at McDonalds sign" . Or they would be in a wheel chair with Can't work... then they would get up later and walk away?? Also, was on a bowling league, a couple came in handing out note cards "I am "deaf" no one will hire pls give me $$". Well everyone was giving $$$, the guy came to me.. and I said to him "I have a deaf sister in law, and she has no trouble finding work" You are more than capable to work being deaf. I looked at him and said, I bet you can hear me just fine.. and did some sign language that I learned from my sister in law and I said to him, now tell me what I just "said in sign language" nope he couldn't. I also read an article years ago, that they make close to 300 - 400 a DAY.. So if I still give and on occasion I do, its not money, but, food, clothing etc.

I refer them to the Help Wanted poster in the window.

I had occasion to work where we would encounter some of these same type of people. they admitted they made a good amount of money which they spent on booze or drugs, not food or lodging. I particularly always looked at the women's hands....they were usually immaculately manicured. had a friend who tried to offer some of the groceries she just bought and was rudely rebuffed. so, I do not give anything.

I usually drop off cookies that I get from the Open Houses! They get picked up in the evening by a white van... never followed the van but it's full... You will notice that as the weather cools down up north , we will be bombarded with snowbird bums... NC television exposed the scam, these people make approx 500-600 a Day...meth & Heroin is their drug of choice ... gotta love Television

It can't be easy begging for money. I feel bad they haven't chosen, or figured out, how to earn a legit living. When I feel they are really hard up I'll give, but even then, I may be scammed.

I occasionally give a buck and it makes me feel kinda warm even though I know i'm being scammed.

Occasionally I will give if someone truly looks like they can’t work and need a meal. However, if someone is inked up with hundreds of dollars worth of tattoos and is smoking cigarettes, which are very expensive these days, and claim they need $$ for food, I am not biting.

And a cell phone :shocked::confused::oops:barf:shrug::sad::eek:

I don’t give them $$ because 1) I don’t get a tax deductible receipt, and 2) I don’t have the training to know who needs it and who doesn’t.

There are social programs that can help people in need, if they need it. If they don’t qualify, I conclude that it is for a good reason.

My daughter said look at their shoes they are wearing. Usually they are very nice. Sometimes I’d see them picked up in a better car than I’m driving. I do not give them anything. With all of the job openings now they can work but why should they since they make more money begging .(no taxes)

I tell them to quit bothering us and go to California where they give away free tents, free food and free wash facilities and , it seems, a nice free spot on almost any street they wish to camp on; and they still don't have to even try to work!

I gave one guy my old pocket-umbrella because it was raining and he (obviously) didn't have one (or he'd have been using it). New condition, I never used umbrellas because I never stood out in the rain more than a minute or two.

A woman who I hadn't seen before had a nice message on her sign, said something like "Please smile and have a blessed day" or some other similar sentiment. I was first in line at the red light so I gave her a chit-chat, asked her if she had a cat for a pet - I would've given her one of the cans I'd just bought. She said she had a dog. After another minute of chatting while waiting for the light, I grabbed a handful of change from my car's change compartment and handed it to her. She had horrible teeth. I'd never hire someone like that as a "public face" for my company, because her front teeth were black and pitted, one was missing. Her skin was clear, her hands were clean (because even homeless people know how to use a rest room).

Homeless people have trouble getting a job because most jobs require that they have a permanent address. When you fill out an INS form, you need proof of residence. Without that, you can't get a legal job in this country.

No permanent residence = no proof of residence = no legal job - even if you had good teeth.

I don't normally ever give money. That one woman though was very personable, obviously intelligent, polite and articulate? My guess is that she was bulimic at some point in her life (long-term bulimia causes the enamel to strip off your teeth and then they turn grey, and then they start to rot). I really hope some dentist sees her some day and volunteers to give her a new smile.

Yes, some scam the system and yes, some have issues with drug abuse, but there are many poor insecure and legitimately hungry people roaming every street in America. Many of these folks have criminal and psychiatric histories and most have no family support, formal education nor the ability to hold down a job. For those who suggest that these folks just put down their homeless signs and walk across the street and work at McDonalds' have obviously never been in their situation. Many of these people are not hirable due to their chronic conditions that places them in an never ending circle of homelessness. Have a heart, step outside your Villages bubble and help your fellow man.

I stay away from that Walmart. Don’t like to be demanded for charity, in any way. I believe in organization that directly help the needy and that is what I support.

It is certainly easier to paint everyone with a single brush. I wonder how many here I ever actually been homeless... I have for almost a year.

Yes, there are crazies, and yes there are "scammers", and yes there are lazy people. But, it is easy to judge without having lived and walked in their shoes. I can assure you, the system is stacked against you if you are homeless. You know you can not get food stamps if you don't have a phone and address? Ask me how I know. You know how hard a "real" job is to get with out a phone or address?

Anyway, just curious how many here dis'ing these people trying to get some kind of work, by standing in the heat on a corner waiting for a pickup to come along and ask they if they want a couple hours work.

Forgive me Grumpy, we have different experiences. My mom used to do as you suggest. She’d ask the homeless youth to come to her house, half a block away, to do some work for money. She needed home help, such as rake the leaves etc. She never had a taker, not once.

Clap 👏. You know what the say though, money won is twice as sweet as money earned.

Excuse me Velvet, where in my mini-rant did I mention ANYTHING about what anyone here should do?

I was referring to those here that talk about "the homeless".

Oh, and to the second part, I would not have accepted that either. I can assure you that would NOT have help me or anyone else get out be being homeless. I did it, I am here now, I know what it takes and it is NOT handouts. It is hard work at a good job. Raking leaves is NOT a good job. Sorry.

Well, I may have read something into it unjustifiably. Mother Theresa is one of my role models. Half of me is debating with my other half.

I never do as I feel the money is not for food etc. some make out well and they always have their Dunkins coffee. Unfortunately if the are truly homeless, no one will hire them without an address so they are unable to get hired.

Why I never give a handout unless the person is performing a Broadway musical and sings well.

Simple, if they can stand there for hours on end, which I have noted they do, they can get a job and work for a living, instead of begging.

These people are scammers making hundreds of dollars a day tax free. I also see this up north by shopping centers and grocery stores. They are sitting on a milk box smoking cigarettes and drinking a 7-11 beverage. They don't want bagels or burgers they want your hard earned dollars. A majority of the time it's woman who are rolling down their window and giving money. Maybe next time they will grab your hand and take your rings or bracelets. Be smart and ignore these unsightly organized scammers.

Live here long enough and the stories will be told. Some folks have spoken with them and they say they can make more $$$ panhandling than working. As another poster said, park some place near-by and watch them when they leave their spots. Many go over to a nice, expensive vehicle and drive away. Why is it you might see some, talking on a cell-phone. Where do they get $$$ for those?? Starting now and going til Spring the Roma folks come down and do their thing. Some drive by homes and offer to fix roofs or driveways. If they work at all, it's shoddy and then they leave. Talk to Seniors Against Crime about these people. Panhandlers often work for pimp-like people and have to make a quota each day. They might give a sob-story or their car broke down and a relative is dying and they NEED to get "there". Offer other alternatives and they'll get angry. IF you want to donate $$$$ give to a shelter for battered women, a pregnacy help center or the Salvation Army. Those panhandlers could be asking at such agencies if they truly needed help.

Homeless?
 

These folks work in shifts. They arrive driving a red later model SUV and pick each other up after "work". They have better cell phones than I do. The one lady sometimes brings her dog with her to add to her act. There is also a kid in his early 20's that sits on the sidewalk outside the Circle K store with a visibly fake pathetic look on his face. I have told him to apply inside and he looks at me like I'm nuts.

Interviews from media tell that they make quite a good living at this and it's all TAX FREE! There are many threads in TOTV that discuss this. The answer is NO, save your money for you.

For 25 years, my dad volunteered as a chaplain for the Denver Police Department and was in fact the head chaplain and carried a lieutenant’s shield. He often walked along the Platte River on the path and would sit on park benches and chat with whoever was sitting there. Often that was a homeless person, and often he asked the question asked by the original poster. The answer was similar to yours. He several times parked his personal car near where a “homeless” person was begging, then followed the person to his or her car and followed the person home or watched the “homeless” person get picked up by a car full of similar people and driven home, just so he would know for sure.

The “homeless” people my dad talked to generally said something like “If you want to give a liar money for drinks or drugs, go ahead. If you want to help, donate to homeless shelters. Some of these people are real homeless people in need, but most of those are already cared for by the city or county and will be back on their feet again soon.”

I don’t know if this is true or not. There’s a long history of restless men (nearly always men) who for various reasons have to keep moving and ride the rails or whatever. During the 1920s and especially the 1930s, there were thousands who were honestly seeking a days hard work in exchange for a bed and a couple meals or a place as a hired man on a farm. These days, if you don’t want to work, it’s easier to survive in the cities.

I would favor renting land for homeless camps on American Indian reservations, setting up hundreds of nice 9x12’ cabins at each site, and group showers, restrooms, and mess halls, then paying the Indians to guard them and keep them safe. And there. Then make services available only there and forbid panhandling and vagrancy in cities. This would be much cheaper and more efficient and kinder than the current situation. Certainly much cheaper than jail time.

I don't think anything will be done to actually fix the problem, if the homeless are hidden away somewhere. One of my neighbors was commenting about how few homeless there are here compared to big cities, completely unaware of the fact that the Ocala National Forest is home to who knows how many homeless families.
So, the question is - do you want to address and fix the problem or just hide it somewhere, so it's easier to ignore?

But raking leaves and earning money for that could change the way a young person thinks about life and even give them a sense of worth. There are many paths to the same goal and that goal is being self sufficient. I don’t give to charities or give handouts to the homeless but I will give double the standard tip to someone who is working, take care of my yard service people at Christmas, same for the sanitation guys at Christmas, give the guy who changes my oil(not the shop he works for) a tip, but most importantly be there for family when and if they need anything so they don’t end up on the street

I often said that for 1% of our tax revenue we could put up tens of thousands of RV homes on public Forest land and create offices for medical and mental help as well as job training. But the politicians can't get any payback that way

Quick story
 

So I come out of McDonald's with my bag of food and there's a guy sitting in the median with his German Shepherd.
I gave him my bag as I can easily go around again to reorder and I see him taking the hamburger out and giving it to his dog. I guess he wasn't a hungry but the dog was

Another simple scam that you will see a lot is an older person or a younger person and a gas station with or without a car saying that their wallet was stolen or they have no money and they have to get to take your choice the hospital, philadelphia, or some such nonsense place and they need some gas money.

There are times over the years we're giving people money where it's really sounds truthful like they truly lost their wallet and they're trying to get out of a parking lot that requires payment or they're at a storage facility and they just realized that they didn't bring their wallet with them and I have to get some gas to go back home.

The reality is in life, you don't really know the story behind the person asking for a few dollars, The simple solution is always to take 5 or 10 bucks out of your pocket or whatever you have and be generous, we are all retired here and I presume most of us have decent money in the Bank and there is always somebody who could use it. Even if half the time someone is scamming you you can be generous and charitable. The saying simply goes for not the grace of God you can be that person in that position. So have some real feelings and take a few bucks that help someone out whether they really need it or not it's not going to kill you to be charitable. Don't be a grouch!!!

It is a shame to see them, but there are so many questions. This will get worse as soon as the illegals figure out how to do this.
Don't be a slave to free things.

Same as all over the USA.............some are needy, some are not.