Any Spare Change? (Homelessness and street begging)

Name: Wild_Child

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Product:	Homelessness and street begging
Date:	21/11/07 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Help people buy food & shelter

Disadvantages: Funding drug habits

I always give money to beggars and buskers. Sometimes just a few pence, sometimes ten pounds, or a pack of cigarettes or a cup of coffee. Whenever I do this, my friends always start laughing and saying that they'll just spend the money on drugs, or that they all have homes and loads of money anyway.
What alot of people don't understand is how difficult it is to get out of being homeless. It's not just a case of getting a job - often homeless people have been down and out for a long time & don't have any qualifications or job prospects. Many have criminal records or mental health problems, making it difficult to find employment and apartments - not to mention the stigma that goes with being homeless - would you employ a homeless person?
I know that throwing some change at them as you walk past isn't going to solve all their problems, but I feel better knowing that they will be able to buy a hot cup of coffee or a sandwich, with money that I would probably have spent on makeup or fast food anway.
Many people think that homeless people are really quite rich and have nice homes - that they choose to beg for money because it's easier than getting a real job. Well, what's easy about sitting on freezing cold streets, wrapped in filthy blankets, opening yourself up to abuse and humiliation, asking strangers for spare change?
Let's look at some reasons for homelessness -
Running away from domestic or sexual abuse - many young people run away from desperate situations at home, only to find themselves living on the streets, sucked into drugs and prostitution because they literally have nowhere else to go.
Mental Illness - without relatives to care for them, or interjection from the government, it is all too easy for people with mental illness to become homeless.
Bereavment - often when people loose a loved one, they loose their support system and income.
As a young teenager, I spent one night sleeping rough after 'running away from home', and it was utterly terrifying - I was freezing cold, too scared to go to sleep, and in the morning I felt exhausted,dirty,and drained. I couldn't imagine living like that for months, even years at a time - yet thousands of people all over the UK do just that - sleeping in doorways, parks and on benches, they are the problem that everyone wants to forget about - but they won't go away.
So next time you walk past a beggar, give them some spare change, or buy a copy of the big issue.
At the very least, regular donations to 'Shelter' will help tackle the root of this problem & help to get people of the streets for good - because giving homeless people money should be only be an interim measure before attempting to get them off the street for good.

Summary: Please help fight the UK's homeless problem!