I used to work for a grocery store when I was in graduate school. There was a homeless guy one day on our parking lot with a sign that read “Vietnam Vet - homeless will work for food”
The store manager was a retired Marine. He went out and talked to the guy. The store needed literally about 100 more people to work in it so Jimmy, the manager took an application and store uniform, a bag of personal hygiene items like shaving cream and shampoo that would allow the guy to make himself presentable. He told the guy he would, as a fellow veteran not only hire him for $3.00 over the minimum wage but but forgo the normally required polygraph and give him the bag of personal items along with so shoes to go with the uniform. All the guy had to do was to accept a job.
The homeless guy refused the offer and simply said then “Can’t you just give me $50.00?” Jimmy told him to get off the Randall’s parking lot because it was private property.
I had never really liked that store manager before that.
Some of them are just doing it for the handout and probably have more money stashed away than you and I, if they aren’t drinking it away. They hurt the homeless that really need and want help though and that’s what is so sad.
A few years ago at work our contracted cleaning company hired a homeless man that had all of his personal belongings strapped to a bicycle and was sleeping in a tent at night. He always tied the bike to the guard shack while he was working. Our plant manager found out about his situation and offered to get him a room at a local motel and personal products that he might need to make him more comfortable. He split and nobody ever saw him again.
This manager obviously felt like this homeless person was deserving and really wanted help. Some are and do but there are a lot of them that are scam artists or mentally ill. It doesn’t take long to ferret them out if you know the questions to ask.
at the city farmers market a couple years ago I had a homeless guy come up to me asking for some money for breakfast - I said come on, no money, but I’ll buy you the biggest breakfast here....the guy said he actually wanted the money for cigs and turned it down.