Begging for money - to give or not to give?

Do you give money to people begging on the street? And do you think that others ought to?

The second question elicits a broad range of responses. Some people will always try to give something, others give depending on their mood. Some people give money, others prefer to offer food, vouchers, or assistance with transport to a shelter for the homeless. Many would never give money, thinking that the recipient will spend it on alcohol or drugs; or in fact would never give anything, presuming that the welfare system is there to look after the homeless.

Those of us who have never been homeless have no idea about life on the streets. To challenge preconceptions: most beggars would prefer to have a minimum-wage job, but have been unable to secure one due to mental illness, physical disability or a lack of skills. To rely on charity is not something that people set out in life hoping for, and this is an even less attractive option in countries where there is no welfare state.

I choose to give money to people begging. I don’t mind what they do with it. But I faced two problems: mood and connection.

My mood changes: some days I feel generous and will actively give to people, other days I just cannot to be bothered.  My tolerance level changes as well, and with it my propensity to give money to a persistent beggar just to get him or her to leave me alone.  To counter this I removed my transient emotional states from the question by choosing a day of the week where I give to whoever asks. Every Tuesday I carry ten £1 coins, and hand them to whoever I see begging or sleeping rough until they are gone.

Giving money (or food, or time) can be a sop that prevents us having to make a connection.  It’s much easier to throw somebody some cash than it is to look them in the eye and feel for them.  So when giving money I at least take time to look the person in the eye, ask their name, and introduce myself. It’s small – some would say nothing – but it establishes a human dimension to the transaction between giver and receiver. They aren’t “just another beggar”.

Having beggars on the streets in our cities is a challenge to our society and to our personal ethics. To give or not to give, that is one question. But the first thing to do is to stop willfully ignoring the homeless.