Did you ever wonder about the money you give to panhandlers and what they do with it?

[FunkyMonkee]

A guy that lives about a 20:00 drive from me decided to find out. He posted his findings on another social site I'm a member of. You might find it interesting

The Intersection of 5th and Penn Ave.

Every day, I see the same faces at the intersection, holding signs asking for help. Yesterday, I decided to stop, park my car, and talk to one of them—to understand the person behind the sign.
At first, he was hesitant to talk, but after I handed him $20—no questions asked—he opened up. He told me he makes "between $100 and $200" a day in "donations," some random, others from regulars who give daily, with the occasional $20 from a generous passerby.
His name is Charles. He’s 27 years old, originally from Philly, and moved to Pittsburgh last year to meet up with friends. He ended up staying and now shares a nearby apartment with a small group. Together, they take shifts panhandling at the corner, using the money they collect to support their addiction. What started with meth has now escalated to fentanyl over the past nine months.
When I asked if he wanted to quit, his response was honest: "Yes, but not yet."
And here’s the hard truth: I’ve been part of the problem too. I’ve given money at intersections, thinking I was helping, when in reality, I was only making it easier for addiction to continue. Every dollar handed out keeps people like Charles stuck in this cycle, delaying the moment when they might finally choose to change.
So, what’s the solution? Real help comes from supporting organizations that provide addiction treatment, mental health services, and long-term housing. If we truly want to make a difference, we need to stop funding addiction and start supporting recovery.

[NoDecision]

There are lots of people who are scamming people so they don't have to get a steady job or pay taxes. They probably make more a day than you do. I saw one person who was there with his sign every day at the freeway offramp. One day a nice car pulled up to him and handed him an insulated bag to him which I took it to be his wife bringing him lunch. A lot of times they are hired by someone to beg at chosen locations and then split the money with the beggar. If you have 20 people working for you I suppose you can make a lot of cash under the table doing it. The problem is, they turn people off to real people in need.

[sage2021]

No I don't because I give them money that comes from my heart ❤️. What happens to the money after it leaves my hands is perfectly okay with me to spend it on whatever they want to.

[sage2021]

If there was more money already there for recovery then why is recovery so damned expensive?
Recovery isn't cheap if you have looked into it.

[FunkyMonkee]

It may come from your heart but it probably goes into their arm.

[sage2021]

@FunkyMonkee
But you don't know that for sure do you?
I had a young lady approach me in the parking lot at the big post office 🏤.

She looked like she was newly homeless and very scared. She was collecting money to pay for the motel room.
All I had was $7 in cash to give her but she hugged me and held onto me for dear life. Then she was crying a little bit and said (as she was staring at the bushes and trees) ", It's so scary out here".
I really wanted to take her home with me but I didn't. She was clean, sweet and kinda looked like she could have been my daughter if I had one.

Like I said recovery is very expensive and they don't just give it free to anyone who wants to stop taking drugs. That's a big problem.

[DryGermanGuy]

Not many panhandlers around here. Those I see are usually street musicians, so I doubt they are on drugs. Some are professionals from the Gypsy beggar industry, I would never give those anything.

[FunkyMonkee]

`Cause musicians never take drugs.

[exitseven]

If I say anything at all to them i tell them to get a job. I never give them money. I know they will just spend it on booze and dope.

[DrPepper12]

Inaccurate to imply that most will use money for drugs. 1/3 homeless in NYC is a minor.

[Dongie]

Yep! They're making a killing while destroying there esteem.

[beefcakebradybatson]

It's their business what they spend it on, though yes, I sometimes wonder.

[Anonymous]

That's a lovely... story.

[Ladsin2]

Nope. They buy drugs. I've never thought about it.