The homeless

[cheesehead]

I really get very upset when I see the otherwise wonderful people of Toronto treat our homeless so poorly. For instance, this evening, I was out having a drink with a friend on College around little Italy. A homeless man was approaching many of the tables, only to find rudeness and apathy. As he appraoched us, I noticed he was asking for money to buy a slice of pizza because it was his birthday. Hearing this i said "hey man. look i have no cash on me (which i didn't) but I'll take ya across the street to grab a bite if you like?" So he agreed and we walked and talked about life's miseries. Yes, I left the table I was sitting at (after making sure my friend didn't mind) and promised to be right back. I took the guy to two different pizza places but neither took anything but cash. So i was out of luck in terms of buying something, but he said that he really appreciated the thought more than anything. And was truly grateful for my help.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, how difficult is it for each one of us to take some time out of our schedules and show a little compassion? It took less than five minutes to show this gentlemen that i cared, and wanted to help. People pretend like homeless folks don't exist, or are scary, or dangerous. If you stop and talk to someone on the street once in a while and offer to help, you'll see that, like us, they are indeed human beings. I was really upset at the reaction of the people at the bar I was at. It really made me rethink how empathetic this city is. Especially since we all went through difficult times with Sars and the blackout.

I hate people who won't help. Bugs the shit outta me.

That's all.

[CyberHippie]

I hear what your saying, however I think exposure has got something to do with it.

I get pretty tired of the barage of 'homeless' people asking me for free money when i'm downtown. After a while I, like many people, start to tune it out. I consider myself to be a pretty nice guy, and I help people out when I can. But I think many of the homeless people downtown are opportunistic and really looking for a free handout. It's hard to tell who is stranded, lost, alone and out of cash and completely out of luck, from those who's daily routine is to hang out and ask for free money.

I have to commend you on trying to buy that individual a slice. I think that's really great, he wanted food so you tried to help him out. I think doing something like that is a much better way to go. The people who are really just looking for cash for their next score will tell ya to take your slice and fuck off.

Incidently, one time my wife Tara was walking home and this guy asked her for change. When she said 'no', He said he "was gonna have to start robbing people the way things are going".

Crazy...

Anyhow don't think of me as a cold uncaring person, I do care for the people that are really in need, but it just gets too confusing to separate the fakes from the frauds.

[CatPhish]

a friend of mine used to carry around granola bars for that sort of situation

[colinw]

I always give money to people doing performances on the street - playing guitar, singing, whatever - somehow putting on a show to earn money.

I also pay attention to the ones who are looking for food or drink. I offer to buy them something to eat or go with them to buy a coffee or something. Some take me up on it and are grateful, but the majority aren't interested when they actually get food - they want the cash for other reasons. I can sympathize with someone being down on their luck and needing a hand out to help them, but I work my ass off for my money and I don't feel the need to support someone else's drug (or other) problems.

I pretty much ignore the people shaking cups and asking for money rudely. I have no problem helping a legitimate person who needs help, but there are way too many scammers living better lives than me asking for spare change.

Colin

[B & Z]

Don't worry about the homeless, Chretien talks to them every day. They talk to air ... you get the idea.

Seriously, as you may know, many of the homeless are mental patients that have been kicked out of factilities the Ontario government has closed. No one really chooses to be on the street, other than runaways.

So, my current policy is to give once a day.

Steve

[kung]

Man on a subway talks to himself all damn day.

[Phunky Cauldron]

Just to add a little to this discussion. I recently moved to toronto (4 months ago) and as such I constantly stopped and talked with the homeless even when I had no money to give. I found that most just appreciated the company...the social equivalence. 4 months later, after having walked down bloor twice a day from Ossington to Spadina and passing easily 20 homeless people a day I find myself stopping less and less. I don't really know what to think of it. On one hand, I see myself as caring a little less each day, but then I justify it as being the environment I'm in that are perpetuating my feelings.

It could also have something to do with this type of situation. I worked nights at a market a block away from bloor and bathurst. The first story is about this one homeless fellow who can be found walking the streets pushing his hand towards people asking for chance. He walks around without shoes on occasion and really looks down on his luck. Here's the twist....he would come into my store 2 or 3 times in my shift alone (6-midnight) and cash in $10-$15 dollars in change each and every time. Now while I realize that what he begs for each day will not pay for much, but from my crude calculations (I'd say he pulls in at least $50-60 a day), that's still over $15K a year. I have lots of friends in toronto who work their asses off for around the same salary.

The second story is about this young guy who hangs out around the tim hortons just east of bathurst. I've walked past tim's on my way to work and he's looked like shit (just to say he looks like he's having a real tough time with life), except that he's wearing a sharp pair of jeans and a nice rugby shirt or something similar. Then I'll go to work, and fifteen minutes later, I'll see him walking by with a friend of his smilin and laughing away. To me it seems like he's putting on an act in order to envoke sympathetic feelings from people. Pretty weak really.

These stories are certainly not "the norm", and I realize that Toronto has a serious poverty problem (my roommate works a lot with OCAP, so I hear it all the time), but is just makes me a little more jaded when I see people like this taking advantage of the "real" homeless folk.

[CyberHippie]

I agree with all of you.

Providing a service for money (even if it's not necessary) like playing music or wiping a window = good

Offering money so some dude can purchase cigarettes/booze/drugs = bad

I also agree that there is a big mental health problem, and that many of the people on the streets are there because they have some severe mental problems. Unfortunatley many of these people do have resources but when they are on medication it's horrible for them and many will invetibly wind up wondering the streets, homeless, living out their delusions.

Someone mentioned that no one chooses to be on the streets. That may be the case, but I think once some people are used to living the life, I think they choose homelessness as a way to exist. $50-$60 a day is pretty good when you don't have any expenses. Not too mention the squegee kids. Think about it, how often to the lights change? Lets say someone has a good intersection, and they do one car every other light change, and they get a loonie from that. That can exceed $250 in a real hurry, and that's all tax free...

There definetly is a homeless problem. But what to do about it, that is the big question. Do many of these people even want to be helped, or just given some free money?

[AdamH]

My name is John Q. Citizen. I tend to throw money at problems, so when the problem is bums on the street I throw my pennies on the floor and make 'em dance for it. Other times I request a catchy tune, say Terrapin Station, to be played on whatever instrument they have. Violin is best.

I see it all as street theatre. Like, I wouldn't want to give money unless I got a show for it. Even if that means giving some money to Mr. "I talk to God" just so I can hear him talk to God. That makes it all worth it.

One thing I WON'T give is my time, because that's much more demanding that a few quarters. And maybe it all goes to booze but hey, if it makes the guy happy for a day then it's no different than cashing my paycheque in and going to the LCBO. There will always be indviduals who are "structurally unemployed", and there will always be mentally unstable people on the streets, and there will always be drug addicts. You shouldn't feel any compulsion one way or the other to help these people, God knows Mr. Smellypants sleeping on a sewer grate ain't gonna do nothing for you!

Selflessness....altruism...It's all so fucking self-righteous

[CyberHippie]

Funniest spare change line ever...

I'm coming home late one night, it's about 2am. This dude walks by and says, "Hey man, I'll let ya stand on me for a buck". I just kept on walking, but in retrospect it would have been funny to have taken him up on it. I don't think I had a buck though.

[Freeker]

Saw a guy on 7th Ave in NYC with a sign saying "beat the shit out of me for 2 bucks" I gave him 5 and thanked him for the laugh. Seriously you either got to be playing an instrument or making people laugh to get my money. We all gotta work, and most of the time I'm not to far off from being in their shoes.

[questcequecest?]

Originally posted by ahess6488:

I throw my pennies on the floor and make 'em dance for it.

I like to make 'em work for it too...

But even better, I'd rather give 'em a piece of fruit. Apples and Bananas.

[TonyRage]

What are you going to do?

There was this street guy on St. Laurent in Montreal. Name was John. He looked healthy ans fit. Seemed sane. Always asking for money after the bars closed. Very honestly said it was for alcohol and drugs. He got very in your face at times and I asked him once why he, when he looked so healthy and seemed sane, be out on the street every day asking for our money. He replied that he made more on the street than he did when he worked. I told him if he ever asked me for money again I was holler and scream at him. Needless to say he asked me many times again, and each time I would just yell at him to fuck right off etc. I left for a few weeks and came back to Montreal. Another one of the homeless people on the Main who I chat with sometimes told me he had OD'd. I felt bad, but only that he had had to die, and not cause I had yelled at him. He deserved it and maybe if more people had yelled at him, he would have gotten it through his head that it was not okay to do what he was doing, ant that there are trully needy people who are incapable of holding a job or staying in a goverment facility who get a bad name from people like him.

My opinion is that I have cash to spare, but I am loathe to waste it on addicts and kids who should be at home (granted many of these kids are better off on the streets than with some of the "parents" in this world). I prefer to always speak with the person I am giving money and then I can judge somehwhat whether my "investment" is worthwhile or going to be wasted.

[gentlemonkey]

This may be insensitive, or maybe the word is innapropriate.. but has anyone heard of ...

BUM FIGHTS

Rufus is pretty daring, and that bling bling crackhead clip is pretty special too... its on the subject.. sort of.

[Phunky Cauldron]

Rufus is the toughest muthafucka out there. He's "The Champ"!

[Tooly]

worst thing ive seen was a guy with a ratty leather jacket and a sign that said kick a punk for a buck

[Chewie]

you have to watch out who you give money to.

i gave a bum a couple of bucks at queen and spadina on my way to a bar.

after the bar, we decided to hit mr. pong's.

while waiting for our food the bum walked in and placed an order

i thought...good at least he's eating someting with the money he begs for.

just then the fucker pulled out a wad of bills bigger than my wallet!

[Booche]

"worst thing ive seen was a guy with a ratty leather jacket and a sign that said kick a punk for a buck"

Yeah, but Velvet lost the jacket at Bluesfest....

[Kitari]

Hey CatPhish, I'm not sure if I'm the friend you're talking about, but I do the granola bar thing too. On any given day I usually have one or two unmeltable (ie. no chocolate) granola bars in my car. Whenever I encounter a guy beside the road saying "Need money for food" I skip the middle man and give him food instead. It's a semi-nutritious snack, cheap to buy and makes me feel like at least I'm sort of helping those down on their luck.