Giving Money to the Homeless: Is That Something You Should Do?

We delve deeper into this question that always seems to be at the back of our minds whenever we see or are reminded of a homeless individual.

A lot of you may think the answer is “no”. But if you do some thinking about it, you would, in fact, find out that the answer is “yes”. These days, we have kind-hearted, generous, and loving individuals committed to our communities’ causes, such as those from SapiBon Foundation, Inc. We are a well-respected charitable organization in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that strives to find solutions to the root causes of poverty and injustice in our local areas and beyond.

Deciding whether or not to give money to a homeless person often feels like getting caught between a tug-of-war. Is your donation going to alleviate this person’s suffering or is it only going to encourage it? Find local non-profit organizations to work with to ensure that your money is spent wisely.

• What if we aren’t working with an organization yet, what should we do when a homeless person begs us for money? Does it mean we don’t give them, ever?

  According to an economic specialist, when you become more generous to beggars, you don’t actually help solve their situation. You’re only encouraging more people, especially those in the poor class, to become like them.

  When you do decide to give donations, let it be to the especially needy beggars who you know need your help more than others. You can tell these things just by looking at them; you see it in the way they don’t expect you to give them money at all. But then again, because of the generosity of some people, beggars have developed their craft in acting in order to be perceived as more destitute than they actually are.

• Letting your compassion drive you and trusting your gut.

  Once in a while, trust what your gut tells you. There are times when a particular situation with a homeless individual strikes you more than others. There are times when the homeless individual himself, leaves an impression on you. In such cases, when instinct is basically telling you to help this person out, it may be a good idea to heed to it. More often than not, it’s during these instances when your donations are justified.

• What should be the final answer?

  Donate to charity instead of just dropping change in a beggar’s hand. By doing so, you are helping to relieve the underlying crisis of poverty in our community and not simply trying to alleviate your guilt.

  Being a kind, loving, and generous individual is admirable. It makes you a role model to society. However, you have to think about the bigger picture and donate in the right way. Think about how your actions, regardless of whatever good place they have may come from, impact the community as a whole. When you’ve established that it does lead to a better end, then you can continue on with the way you plan to achieve your mission.