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Post by Luke Hamlyn on Sept 27, 2015 20:00:28 GMT -8
I do not believe that people should stop giving money, along with other things to the poor. If you see someone in need and you can spare a few buck or you have some food that you could give to them, by all means it is a good thing to give that money to a panhandler or homeless person. However, I think it is a much better use of one's money to donate it to organizations that specialize in helping the homeless, and others in need. While it is helpful to give money or food to individual people in need, that money or food will very rarely make a huge difference in that persons life, nor will it lift them out of poverty. That is why it is better to donate to charities that can work with the impoverished every day and can greatly improve peoples lives.
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Post by diegoletamendi on Sept 27, 2015 20:02:46 GMT -8
Giving money to panhandlers is definitely not the best solution for the long-term, but it can have its benefits in the short-term. Paying for someone's meal for the night is incredibly important, because it means the person can survive for another day. For the long-term, however, we should be focusing on charity foundations and shelters which do the most to support a poor/homeless person in today's society, alongside government assistance programs.
Charitable organizations also have their problems of corruption (and otherwise) though, so we really should be making sure that ANY money donated is going to be used for the right purpose.
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Post by diegoletamendi on Sept 27, 2015 20:09:41 GMT -8
I agree with Lucas, short-term needs are met with donation of change, but for long-term needs larger systems of support are needed. As Lucas says, impulsive cash-spending habits can develop with people who panhandle. This doesn't allow them to save up their money, so they can actually better their situation.
They're not perfect, but charitable organizations are going to be the best way to actually move poor/homeless people out of their predicament.
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Post by Luke Hamlyn on Sept 27, 2015 20:16:19 GMT -8
I agree with Diego when he says that we should be making sure that, "we really should be making sure that ANY money donated is going to be used for the right purpose," because, while I am not as worried as Diego is about corruption in charitable foundations, it is important to know what type of charity you are donating to and how that charity helps. Not all charities do the same things and some charities provide services that are much more important to those in need while other charities' contributions are not as vital. It seems that many people donate to charity without thinking about what their money is going to specifically be used for, and I think it is important to know just how you are helping in order to help the most.
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Post by Lucas Junod on Sept 27, 2015 20:27:43 GMT -8
I strongly agree with Darrien's statement that, "Giving them pocket change does not get them out of the cycle they are in." Directly giving panhandlers money will not help anyone, and may actually be deficient for them. Most will spend the money on drugs or alcohol and will continue to beg for money to spend it on the same things. They will always be in the same impoverished state they are in and will not make any beneficial progression for their own lives. Giving money to non profit organizations will appropriately distribute the money to make sure they are using the money efficiently which will greatly increase the quality of their lives.
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Post by Noah w on Sept 27, 2015 20:29:03 GMT -8
I do not think we should continue to give money to the poor. Instead we should be helping to clean them up and preparing them for job interviews. Why should we have to give them money when it looks as though they are not even trying to make a life for themselves? Obviously something led them to the point where they could not care for themselves, and it is not our job to support them when they didn't work to keep their life on track. Also, there are several programs such as Habitats for Humanity that are based off the amount of work you put in. They can ask for a house and as long as they put in at least 500 hours, they can get the house completely paid for and ready to go. I understand this will not take care of all the people in poverty, but I think it shows that if they did want to work they could go out and do something for themselves. We are all working as hard as possible in high school to get into a good college and hopefully from there get a good job because something good will happen to you if you work hard, so obviously the people asking for money on the streets missed a step of that. Don't get me wrong, if someone feels like donating they are totally free to do so, it is their money to give away, and I have done it before, but they should not be relying on getting money from other people to pay for their next meal. I do think it is important to start getting them back on their feet, but I do not think that by us giving them a dollar or two they are going to be stable again. Especially when we don't know where that money is going, it would be a lot more beneficial to give them a meal or water directly because that is the real help they need. They might feel that drugs or alcohol is the way to avoid being sad, when in reality we just need to get them back on their feet. Giving them money is not as beneficial as people think it is, there are several other things that can be done to better stabilize them and care for them. First of all, there is no guarantee that if you work hard you'll be able to get a job and go to college and saying people are homeless because they didn't work hard enough in life is an ignorant statement. Not everyone is given the same opportunity to succeed and many of the people who are now homeless had money at some point but lost it after losing their job. Also if you were homeless what would your first step be in escaping poverty? It is definitely not the easiest thing to do and many homeless people rely on extra dollars to eat while they try to figure their plan out. |
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tonyr
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Post by tonyr on Sept 27, 2015 20:43:21 GMT -8
Helping each other is a natural thing to do because sometimes a person can relate through what the other person is experiencing. Though not everyone has been through poverty so they can't really see the way that a poor person is living. When it comes to giving money directly to a homeless person most people are pretty sceptical about it because they think that the homeless will spend it on drugs or alcohol. Many times that is the case but that does not mean that we should not help them out.
Donating money to an organization is usually a better solution because all the money will go for people in need. This solution however is not a simple process to go through their head because they will think that people in poverty don't deserve help. Reason being is that they are not doing anything about it or because helping them out will make them lazy. While this can be the case at times that does not mean we should not help out those in poverty.
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tonyr
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Post by tonyr on Sept 27, 2015 20:57:22 GMT -8
I agree with Joey when he says that paying money directly at a homeless person is not always the best choice. Even though sometimes they buy food or clothing, their will always be a non guarantee as to what they will spend the money on. Another point that I agree with Joey is when he says " it is not fair to ask a citizen, who makes his own money and pay his taxes, to pay even more to an untreated person". Reason I agree with him here is because some people work their butts off to maintain a good life, and giving money to an untrusted person can sound crazy.
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Post by Noah Wolfe on Sept 27, 2015 21:00:18 GMT -8
I think it is important to give to the poor in any way possible. The idea that homeless people are just going to use the money to buy drugs or alcohol is not enough a reason to not give. Yes we don't know what exactly where the money is going, but who are we to judge? They clearly need the money. Giving cash to people begging for it on the street can lead to the purchase of illegal substances but in many situations the people asking for it are just hungry and need money to feed themselves. We can't project our own ideas of poverty, and the causes of homelessness on others. There are as many reasons for homelessness as there are homeless, and each one is unique. Just as there are as many reasons for success. Giving a little bit of change doesn't hurt you, and lets someone else know that you see them, which in many cases is worth more than the money.
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Post by Sam Caldwell on Sept 27, 2015 22:45:29 GMT -8
I feel as though it is up to the discretion of each individual to decide what they wish to do with whatever money they have. Everyone who has money that is their own has the ability to do with it what they want. If they choose to go it to people sitting on the side of the road then that is up to them.
Whether giving money directly to people is good or bad, it probably does not help much. Just giving someone some amount of money they spend and then did not advance themselves much.
The video that we watched was strange and I did not like it because the concept of togetherness is not something that I see defeating poverty.
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Post by nicolascoffeyp3 on Sept 27, 2015 22:45:42 GMT -8
I agree with Maddie that direct donation is not the way to go. There are people who abuse our generosity, and that does not help anyone's situation. Even giving them a meal is better than just a few dollars, because then it has a guaranteed use. A person in poverty wont be helped by the few spare quarters you hand them on the side of the street, they need food, water and shelter. I feel that providing them with the essentials of life is far more useful than the change from the drive-thru you were just in.
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Post by Sam Caldwell on Sept 27, 2015 22:53:06 GMT -8
Krista had the right idea by saying that people can give money to the homeless, but they really can use that for whatever they want to do. This could be an incredibly inappropriate generalization, but if one lost their job and later lost their place of residence it could not be out of the realm of possibilities that they made some poor choices along the way, and will continue too with the money that they were just given.
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Post by Collin Robins on Sept 27, 2015 22:53:43 GMT -8
I think that simply giving money to people on the streets is a short term solution that has no real effect on the person's future. Very few people are able to escape poverty with donations. The best way to help the poor is to reintegrate them into society so they can support themselves. Many homeless people would like to work, but cannot find a job because there aren't a lot of employers who hire people that look homeless. Others struggle with addiction or mental illness; they should be hospitalized and taken care of, not blamed for things outside their control. If homeless people could help themselves, they would. Loose change will not affect that.
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Post by jenniferlopez on Sept 27, 2015 22:55:28 GMT -8
During third period last week, I thought we had a great discussion related to giving to those in need. We spoke about how many people worry about what those in need are actually going to do with their money. And, if you remember the video on poverty we watched, the video made the claim that giving to the poor keeps up the "separation" between "us and them". So, my question: Should we continue to give money directly to the poor (ie: giving money to panhandlers with signs asking for cash)? Should we do something else instead? I personally cannot decide weather or not to give to the poor panhandles asking for money on the streets. Although they are stereotyped as being drug addicts and drunks, and although some are there are also many that are not. Some may have recently been kicked out of their homes, recently lost their family, or recently lost their job and cannot seem to find one just yet. A better idea, I believe, is to maybe provide them with some food or water or maybe warm blankets and clothes to keep them through the cold nights. I personally understand the situation and know how much of a difficult position it can . I think that donating money to organizations who are able to provide even more to the homeless would be a much better idea since they maybe able to provide them with temporary homes and not just help one individual but instead a group or community of them. |
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Post by nicolascoffeyp3 on Sept 27, 2015 22:55:43 GMT -8
I agree and disagree with Erika. While I agree that an act of kindness to a stranger on the street is not a bad thing, I do not agree that it is a legitimate step to ending poverty as a whole. I also dont agree that not giving money to beggars is excluding them. They are there to ask for our help and when a random person does not donate money to them it should not make them feel like outsiders, but that they should try and do something about their situations. Programs for people in poverty that provide food and water is the way we should incorporate them into society, not with handouts of a few quarters.
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