<p>I gave him money to stay at this place for the night + food. I'm meeting up with him at 9:30 at BK and walk to this place to pay for his birth certificate + state ID, after which could start looking for jobs. I don't normally do this, but he was very convincing in saying that all he was looking for was a chance to get back on his feet and be able to provide for himself. To do this, he needs those documents as he had been homeless (don't know why exactly but maybe it has to do with his parents being killed in an accident). </p>
<p>I gave the money partly because I was reminded by a sociology professor freshman year that people who are homeless and jobless sometimes become that way because of forces outside their control (in his case, parents being killed in an accident leaving him to fend for himself with no one else supporting him and making him vulnerable to street vices); and many of them turn to crime when they aren't given the chance to pursue the kind of life that society had instilled in them was valuable (having social mobility, financial independence). Knowing what I know about homelessness, I felt like the choice I made might seem trivial to me but could very well change the course of his life (I know he could just be fooling me, but the worst that could happen is my mother yelling at me for giving that money away because my father was just laid off from his factory job). Even if he had done bad things in the past and was irresponsible, I'm hoping that by doing what I did, I'm giving him this chance to turn his life around (and he better not waste it). Do you think I am nuts? Is he just going to spend it on something completely useless? I mean, if anything, I'm curious to know if these sociological theories I've learned about actually have some purpose in real life. I was kinda nervous when he approached me because he could've just totally robbed me, but I also know that a lot of Northwestern students talk to homeless people so I was just like whatever.</p>
<p>Ohh also, he said he wants to work for me if I want him to. That's better than just giving him money because it would make him feel like he actually earned something. Do you guys have any ideas about what kind of work I could give him? I'm thinking like designing a set for this show next year and flyering on campus. Once he has a stable job, he said he'd treat me out after his first paycheck.</p>
<p>oh yeah, if I disappear tomorrow, you'll know it could be linked to my helping out this guy (I'm trying not to make an assumption, but it's definitely possible).</p>
<p>Is it stupid? Absolutely not. As the great Godsend would say, it's very noble of you.</p>
<p>But I would be aware. The problem, and it is an actual problem, is that the mentality of the homeless change very quickly. Once people go homeless, their world turns around. They become apathetic and it's a dangerous and continous cycle. You have to understand the support needed to get a homeless person off the streets is not just financial and physical (shelter), but also emotional and mental.</p>
<p>I personally believe homeless people are helluva rational than people give them credit. We go around saying "go get a job!" While there are those who are just butt frigging lazy, there are those who just can't afford to get a job. That is they don't have a place to stay, place to eat, the required documents, etc.</p>
<p>I should be ashamed of myself for thinking I could've planned my sleep to wake up at noon had I not promised to help this guy. The weight lifting I did yesterday will be for nothing if I don't sleep to help my muscles grow.</p>
<p>Anyway, duckedtape, what do you mean I rank in the first 3 tiers for boarding? posting on boards? what?</p>
<p>To Godsend: I used to live in a shantytown in a developing country, so I know what desperate conditions are like. </p>
<p>This morning, I checked the Evanston Health and Human Services Department website and found out that his statement of release from jail (arrested for sleeping in private properties) might not be enough to request a birth certificate. If this is the case, how could people like him who have no other documentation ever rebuild their lives? The reason why he's requesting the certificate in the first place is to have a form of identification.</p>
<p>I also found out that some 24-hour homeless hotlines are NOT 24-hours and other numbers are just not working anymore. No wonder a lot of the homeless here feel helpless. The resources are not very accessible.</p>
<p>Oh Godsend, I recognize he might be suffering from some kind of psychological/emotional distress, but I hope he won't take that out on me. Of course, I don't know if he's actually schizophrenic/bipolar or whatever (though the idea that mental illness predisposes one to violence is false).</p>
<p>To address the original question posed: Giving money to a homeless person: stupid?</p>
<p>It depends. If it's the kind of thing where you give money to a guy on the street with a sob story. Yes, that is stupid.</p>
<p>OTOH, if you get to know the character of this person and can determine they are not in their situation they are in now because of themselves (e.g. compulsive backstabber, alcoholic, druggie), then I would say that is a very noble thing.</p>
<p>I do not think you should do it. I think this is a very stupid idea.</p>
<p>You put your safety at risk by developing a relationship with a total stranger, especially one who is in a desperate financial situation, and even more importantly part of a demographic rumored for mental instability, drugs, and alcohol.</p>
<p>You would do more good by giving the money to charity. Homeless people are rumored to waste their money on drugs and alcohol, and while I admit this is a rumor and may be exaggerated either way, it is pretty clear to me that charities would spend the money more wisely and do more good with it. </p>
<p>I think giving the money to the homeless man has a superficial appeal, i.e. you get to see the "good" you're doing (this "good" being an unsupported assumption). Also, people call you "noble" and you yourself think that you are "noble" because what you are doing is rare and unheard of, while charity is a common thing that often comes without sentiment. </p>
<p>But when you remove all of these superficial impressions, giving the money to charity does more good and is in the whole more humanitarian, so it is actually charity which is more noble. I am feeling rather radical today, so I will say that what you are doing even verges on the side of selfishness.</p>
<p>If you want to do more than give to charity, then there are several charitable organizations and programs you could commit yourself to, which unlike this situation guarantee your safety and considerably improve the chances that what you're doing will actually make a difference. (One example may be tutoring a homeless man through the auspices of an existing program which does the above.) I'm sure something like this already exists.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You would do more good by giving the money to charity.
[/quote]
Agreed. This guy needs a real support system and you, being a busy college student, probably don't have the time or the resources to truly help change this guy's life on your own.</p>
<p>Well, he did spend the money on food. And all the other money he spent on the birth certificate, though not yet the state ID. I'm not being selfish in that no one knows I'm doing this besides you guys, though part of my reason for doing this is my curiosity about its potential success. It's a case study to me basically. Iamthewalrus, you put too much thought on the noble-ness of deeds. It doesn't apply to me since I have Aspergers and cannot grasp the implications of noble-ness fully.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Agreed. This guy needs a real support system and you, being a busy college student, probably don't have the time or the resources to truly help change this guy's life on your own.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What makes you think charities are any different from what sanjenferrer is doing? In fact, I would say that sanjanferrer is helping treat a person's problem while certain charities exacerbate their problems by making them dependent. I remember there was some TV special where a nun gave out free soup and the people in line were interviewed. All of them could afford to buy their own food. They had a home and a job.</p>
<p>
[quote]
What makes you think charities are any different from what sanjenferrer is doing?
[/quote]
There isn't anything different. It's just that the charity can do a much better job than she can. Also, the OP is putting herself in unnecessary danger...</p>
<p>
[quote]
I remember there was some TV special where a nun gave out free soup and the people in line were interviewed. All of them could afford to buy their own food. They had a home and a job.
[/quote]
I am not too sure what this has to do with anything, but please remember there are many degrees of poverty and homelessness. The people in this TV special were more than likely facing a difficult financial situation. Few people with money would go to a soup kitchen just to get a free meal.</p>