You know how it goes. You see someone claiming to be homeless on the street corner and you just usually figure they are trying to scam people. It happens we all know it does. Here is a story that happened recently and came to a climax today that will change my thinking about prejudging.

One day my girlfriend and I saw this couple that we always see on the corner asking for money with their dog. My girlfriend and I started talking and apparantly they have built a little makeshift house by the stream about a mile from where we live. Not trouble makers they are just trying to survive.

Anyway one night I had to run to the store and I saw glowing smoke rising over the horizon as I left our subdivision. As I drove to the store I crossed over the stream and saw their makeshift house was in flames.

We both worried and hoped they were ok. A few days later we see them on the corner again. My girlfriend and I both gave them money this time...maybe because for once I realized bad things can happen to anybody or maybe it was because having more means giving more.

Now the climax. Today I saw a car run out of gas and the husband, wife and son were pushing it to the side of the road. I saw this as I was leaving. As I was driving back I saw the same homeless couple carrying a gas can and walking with the couple and their son to their car and watched them fill it with gas.

Paying it forward.....it really happenes. For that couple that we helped they help those other people in need who even though were more fortunate than the homeless couple still received help from them.

Really made me think alot today. Sometimes we need to slow down, give a buck or 2 or 20. Everyone is only 1 unfortunate incident away from losing everything.

 

I try to give to the Salvation Army to make sure my money goes to the right people. Truly and thought provoking story you have written---you are right--who amongst us would not be in bad shape if the paychecks stopped tormorrow......

 

i gave a bum-like guy playing a violin $10. i see alot of scams but i try to give to those who actually look the part. there used to be an older man and his dog on the corner and i thought "when i get back from puerto rico im gonna give him money and dogfood" but hes not there anymore cuz theres construction goin on :/

 

"paying it forward" with the habititually homeless usually doesn't work. I say if you find a woman with kids, give her money, but just about anyone else don't.
I worked downtown seattle(pioneer square) for about 3 years, literally right across the street from "the shelter".

Of course, when you don't work in an old downtown place, you don't see homeless that often, so giving money seems like the nice thing to do, when you aren't asked to do it everyday, as soon as you're on the sidewalk 5+ times a day. While I still give change to someone abuot every other month, MOST homeless are crazy, or alcoholics/drug addicts and don't deserve free money to keep them homeless. I can only say that because I talked with these people everyday. I was a smoker, so every hour or so, I'd walk out onto the street, light up my cigarette and then here comes a bum asking for money and a smoke(remember, right across the street like 25 feet is a homeless shelter). I always gave the guy a smoke, and we'd chat for 5-10 minutes til i had to go inside back to work. Since i was just 18-20 at the time, it was pretty easy for these guys to talk to me, and at 6'4" with a knife in my pocket, i wasn't too worried about them freaking out, as i've seen many do.

I really got to know some of these guys, and the nicest homeless guys I've met are usually scitsofrentic(sp?). It's really sad, but giving money directly to these guys doesn't usually do anything but buy rock, alcohol or a bj. I have soooo many funny and disturbing stories.
If you want to see the real crazies, go downtown and at about 7-8 in the morning when they get let out of the shelter for the day.