Homelessness and street begging

I was always one of those people that felt guilty when I walk past a homeless person, or take cash from my bank for a night out, and a homeless person sits next to the ATM, and to make myself feel better, would always try to give them a few spare pounds. But that has changed completely over the last few years since a very good friend of mine has started to work for a drug tretatment agency, and opened my eyes. My friend has enlightened me with stories of how her patients specialise in begging for money, using the fact that they are homeless, and the guilt felt by the rest of us, in getting enough money to buy there next "fix". And it has ...

To be honest, it had never occurred to me that anyone would be against giving people support who presented themselves as being homeless. This notion was first brought to my attention when I read an article in the Big Issue detailing how the government was against soup kitchens. Initially, I was disgusted by the sentiments expressed by those in a position to change the lives of those who needed their help most. However, as I read the comments and lines of reasoning, I tried to look at it from a different point of view. Firstly, it is said that the soup kitchens encourage homeless people to stay in their situation. This, they say, is a bi-product ...

I am probably going to come across as being extremely heartless and uncharitable during this review. But these are my thoughts on the homeless. I do feel sorry for some of the homeless, yes. But it always seems to me that the majority (and i must stress not all...) of homeless either have a can of cider of a cigarette in their hand 24/7. Now neither of these products come cheap. And yes, maybe they help the person in question deal with the depression/feelings they are feeling, but i just cant bring myself to feel sorry for them if the most they are willing to do is sit on a park bench drinking cans of cheap cider all day. Cider which was probably spent with ...