By Charlotte Webster-
Homeless people should be given food instead of money, because money almost always goes to drink and drugs.
The UK has a number of good Samaritans, willing to stop and feed the homeless every now and again. Some are kind enough to help with up to £10, donations of £5 are not uncommon either from many British golden hearted people.
Majority of people contributed £1 and below, mas a show of benevolence to society’s most needy. However, what most people fail to realise is that most homeless people put their money to drink and drugs. As nice as we may want to be, it is unhelpful to give alot of money to homeless people. This is certainly not a campaign to neglect the homeless, but for people to be conscious of the fact that we can sometimes be silent and ignorant in assisting the addictions of the homeless.
The spirit of kindness in which money is given to the homeless can have a counterproductive purpose if the beneficiaries of our good will are simply counting their collections and waiting to buy their next ball of crack or heroine. The destruction caused by drugs and alcohol is the worst of its kind, and is killing millions of addicts in the UK and other parts of the world. What homeless people need is love, guidance, and most importantly, food. Homeless people sitting in the corners of Britain’s streets are there to see. They have their sleeping bags with them, and some sleep in self made tents. They congregate in shopping centres and places where they will see hard working people full of sympathy that will stop and give them money. Most of the time, it is money misplaced. A chat with them to find out what they will spend money on will shed light on what is being said here.
A smart trick that works is to pretend to confidentially offer them some crack and heroine, and see if they reject it or claim not to use drugs. Research shows that as high as 98% of them will be too glad to accept such an offer, revealing that their true intentions on the money they receive is to buy drugs.Making it worse is the fact that many of these addicts also drink heavily, leaving in their system a dangerous cocktail of drink and hard drugs. There seems to be a strong interest in cider amongst homeless people. The fact cider is an alcohol intoxixated with an excess amount of sugar and other additives that are very dangerous for the systsem, drug addicts are sadly resigned to the idea that they are worthless. Their aim for an ecstatic high supersedes all other considerations, so much that having drinking or drunk buddies is enough to keep them going.
Homeless people will often not refuse food if offered to them, but one will find that many will snub an offer of food because they are focused on what they really want money for. A little sacrifice of time in stopping at the nearest store to buy them good food is worth alot more than misplaced generosity in giving them money which will contribute to their eventual destruction. The homeless are people, but an inquiry into their background and how they found themselves on the streets can be quite moving. I occassionally stop to speak to homeless people on the random occassion, and am always interested to hear the accounts of some members of our team who have been motivated and brave enough to conduct research with drug addicts. I would be too scared to sit in their midst behind closed doors for even five minutes.
The risk of being caught up in a drug fight or police raid, is one I just couldn’t take. There must be many of them wanted for all kinds of criminal activities, but research involving the homeless or drug addicts will always be accompanied by some risk. One clear observation of the homeless is that they generally like to get drunk at odd times of the day. They have limited prospects, and not much to do but beg, gripped by extreme poverty, all complicated by a horrendous complex history. If they were to overcome their drug addiction, they can search for work and find work. There is always something they can do. They can develop skills through training, but they would need that fundamantal stability to even realistically contemplate a way forward. If everybody who gives money to the homeless invested food and perhaps moral support to help them gain stability, the homeless will soon realise that it is their responsibility to sit up and make the required difference in their lives.
Unlike many parts of the world, the UK is a leader when it comes to the provision of homeless shelters and recovery assistance for alcohol and drug addicts. Responsible citizens of this great country can help by sometimes seeing what practical steps they can take to help homeless people into homeless shelters or temporary or permanent accomodation. It may just be a question of follow up on calls, though it will be no surprise that many homeless people don’t even have a phone. Money would be betetr spent getting them a cheap second hand £10 or £20 phone and keeping in contact with them to check on their practical progress. Stopping by their regular spot close to where we may pass by daily and checking on them will send signals that there are people who care,, but practical changes must always be the ultimate goal. Food and geenral advice or assistance is the real blessing they need, not money that will only dig their hole to death and destruction deeper.