abbeyabbeyabbey asked: how do you feel about giving change or small bills on the streets of philadelphia? i once saw an ad in the paper that said it encourages those to keep asking and to stay on the streets. do you agree? what's a good way to acknowledge those in need without being a direct resource in that sudden five seconds?
Oh man- this is a big one. I am ashamed to admit that so often I look down so as to not make eye contact or brush ‘beggars’ off by walking quickly past them, denying that there is any money in my pocket. I think the honest truth is we don’t want ‘deal’ with ‘these people’, you know the ‘crazy’ people who make us uncomfortable. We are busy and they are clearly not in their right mind. So often we assert that they have landed themselves in such a vulnerable position because of their own doing. They harass us, and they are just going to use that money for booze anyway, right?
If I were to do it right all of the time, I would take the time to buy a meal or a coffee or something (if they would allow me) and just sit and talk with them. To get past my own discomfort- you know, the smell, appearance, and bizarre behavior. To just sit and talk and get to know them and where they are at. Not to pry and tell them they need to get off the street and stop begging, because they’ve heard that a million times, you’re not going to change their mind. I think through genuine relationship, through talking to them as an equal (what they actually are, not what we’ve been taught to think of them). How many times in the recent past do you think someone has stopped to just ask how they are and strike up conversation with them? I think through relationship and learning from them they would be more willing to hear you out on different programs you could help link them up with.
That’s where I was going with this I think- being aware of programs like Project H.O.M.E. in Philly, various shelters, vocational training, etc. I think that’s the best way you can help. Just giving them spare change or even a few dollars is not going to lift them out of poverty, whether they use it on booze or not. It does encourage people to stay on the street- we see this with some of the boys who live on the street in our town in Uganda. They have been in every “street boy” program and have decided to leave each one because street life is what they know, they can make money begging, and they don’t have any rules. I think we forget that many of the people on the street are there not because they like being homeless but because they prefer it over living in a shelter where they are told what to do and how to go about their daily routines.
There are programs in Philly (and other places) that have implemented really awesome program models to help improve the lives of homeless folks. I suggest researching those and then going from there- being able to step outside of your comfort zone and engage with someone not out of guilt or charity but because you genuinely want to see them in a better spot.
Hope this made some sort of sense, I really liked this question and man, might I practice what I preach. Taking the time to stop and just talk to the person begging me for money- if they don’t want to talk to me, that’s okay too, but it’s worth a shot, right? They probably have some good stories and I’ll probably learn more than I could teach in the encounter.
