I can't really remember ever seeing a homeless person, but I feel like I would avoid eye contact and keep a safe distance. It's sort of a comfort zone thing for me.

BNuge :  Where do you live that you've never seen a homeless person? That's absolutely shocking to me!

Singelli :

I may have seen one or two and not realized it. I live in a suburban area of Massachusetts. I've been to Boston a lot, but never really noticed any homeless people.

What I do depends on the exact situation. Most of the homeless around here are harmless... even kinda friendly.

I was once eating lunch at a McDonalds and some old, homeless lady came in and asked for a dollar to buy something off the dollar menu. I gave her 5.

I'm weary of most people asking for money though, because a lot of them use it to by booze. If you're actually starving and trying to feed yourself like that woman was, I'm more likely to lend help.

I also like to give money to street performers because at least they're showing obvious signs of trying to do something to get their money. I'm not suggesting that all people who beg are lazy or don't wanna work... but it's impossible to tell.

Crazy Li :  Yeah,  I have much more respect for those of the homeless that actually try and DO something.

I'll hardly ever give them money though.  I might buy them a drink or a sandwich myself though, so I know exactly where that money went.

Singelli : Oh, definitely. I'd rather give food than cash. That's kinda what I was trying to say with the McDonald's story. I knew she was actually buying food because it was right there.

lol, to be honest i really try to not make eye contact with them. But if i for some reason do i just wave and say im in the same predicament. 

The homeless over here are really scary. Sometimes they will even do anything for cash. Had one guy stalk me for days whenever I got off my school bus, until I got the police were involved. And another one even promised to do rather... sexual things for me if I wanted if I paid him just a little bit. ._.


(I'm not THAT desperate...)

Sairek Ceareste :  That sounds super duper scary, kind of like the homeless here.  I didn't want to mention their lewd comments though. LOL

How long did you wait before you involved the police?  :o

Singelli :


I was suspicious by the first day. I'm pretty apprehensive as it is going outside in the city as it is, so I'm very paranoid about any potential threats. By the 2nd day I was positive, but I wanted to make sure for one more day just to wipe out any lingering doubts.

By the third day I was sure, and actually ran and the person actually chased after me. It was pretty scary; but I was out on a public street so I knew if ANYTHING were to come down I would be for the most part, safe.




Unfortunately I didn't realize that I actually dropped my Nintendo DSi along with my game cartridge out of my pocket. The guy probably got it.

Sairek Ceareste : Well think of it this way; maybe now he won't bother you.

Oldschool41 : Maybe, but the police never found the guy and I never saw my DSi again...

I never ever got to get a real good look. Always followed his distance, and he did wear a hoodie (appropriate for autumn in Canada) so I never really could because it shadowed his face quite a bit. It was a pretty dirty and ragged up hoodie though, along with the condition his jeans and shoes were in so it had to be a homeless person, unless some guy just likes wearing ragged clothes. And that's all I had to really describe him buy. There's a lot of people in the city; can't describe a person just by his clothing.

Police tried camping the spot where he camped after I got off the bus but he never showed up again.

It's so hard to answer this question. Mostly because I, like most people try and look away. It's weird because it seems like alot of us do that because maybe. If we can't see the problem it's not their. It kinda bothers be that some people have that mentality, I have people say to me all the time "Oh your so nice and kind" And i kinda blush and think to myself "Wow! i'm a great guy".
But in reality a great guy would maybe give them some change when they ask for it. First time i saw a bum he asked if i had some change and i give him like the 4$ i had in my pocket. Then my brother yells at me saying don't do that! your enabling them so they will keep asking you. And i kinda laughed at him and said "I have the option of saying no, i just prefer to say yes sometimes". And the thing that i love about homeless people is their usually very respecting and nice. But i hope you guys will be a better person then i usually am and give a bum some change.
I live in one of the most gifted countries in the world and i'm thankful for that.

Happy ThanksGiving everyone! I hope you had a wonderful turkey dinner and had tons of fun with your friends and family!

Love you all.

Sairek Ceareste :  Well thank goodness you didn't waste time on that!  That's really scary, and I'd probably be afraid to walk in that area ever again!  LOL  I don't think I've ever had an encounter that worrisome unless you want to count the time someone tried to run me over in their truck.  But he wasn't homeless, so, that's a story for someplace else.  LOL

Singelli :

Well, I skipped school for a couple weeks (not really skipped since I told the school what happened and they said that they understand) and didn't go there to that spot, but by that time there was only a few more weeks of school left for me anyways.

There was still one whole semester to go but I just dropped out of the school. Not school entirely; just that one. It's too much work spending 3 hours going to school, 6 hours AT the school, and then spend another 3 hours going home. But I digress; even going to the school much closer to me in the city is still hectic. So many homeless people gather at the bus station, there's no avoiding them.

I swear half of them aren't even actually homeless; just people who disguise themselves as such trying to get free money and sponging it from the people who probably need it a lot more. What other way to spend your time than get free money while waiting for your bus to come?

cnw64 : I am also from New York and have seen some who were homeless on the few occasions I was in the city when I still lived there. If I were to ever have an encounter with someone who was homeless in New York or anywhere for that matter the one thing I would do is treat them with dignity. Sometimes people get dealt a bad hand in life and it can happen to anyone, and they can’t really control their circumstances. Although there have been debates about what do to with the homeless where I am locally I do believe that all people should be treated with dignity.

Although it can also be dangerous to a degree because you may not know who your dealing with, you should always give someone a chance and show them respect. You may not encounter someone who is exactly polite toward you but it’s good to try to put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself how you would react if you were in their situation. I know that God forbid if I were homeless I wouldn’t know what to do and I would be scared. I can’t even imagine the level of frustration and despair that those who are homeless have to deal with, especially in this economy when it isn’t exactly easy to find a job. If I could afford to do so I would support a push for low-cost housing and other programs aimed at getting the homeless back on their feet. George Carlin spoke extensively about the homeless issue in one of his stand up specials. As usual I agreed with everything that the man I consider my idol had to say. Carlin’s main line in dialogue about the homeless was, it’s not homelessness it’s houselessness, it’s houses these people need, they need low-cost housing. As usual when George Carlin spoke, he made a lot of sense with what he had to say.

The last homeless person I saw came right up to me and asked me for change to buy a latte and a biscotti.  I laughed so much that I pulled out a fiver and gave it to him.  He was alright, actually.

"Hey man! How have you been?! I have to pay rent now! Weird, huh?"

The answer is nothin I do nothing because even if I do give them money they would spend it on a lottery ticket