Non-homeless people just begging for the craic.

Kermit.de.frog

The other night a man in a suit (drunk) asked me for a smoke in return for some euro coins. I told him I had none left. He got on the same bus so I walked up and just handed him one and told him I didn't want money and I would have given him one had he not offered money.

This happens a lot in town. Don't offer people money for smokes or whatever it is because your less likely to get one because it is insulting.

As for the obvious begging rings - I just ignore them. If you give them money it makes a bad situation worse.

fatknacker

It's a well established thing / fact in all AH threads that Roma aren't the same as Romanians, (although the confusion should be understandable as many of them have come from Romania)
Yet Irish Travellers have no other identity.
How come the Roma gypsies get their identity as a nationless separate ethnic group, but Travellers are as Irish as bacon and cabbage.

fatknacker

Smoking rollies was the best defence rom getting fags scabbed from you each time in public. Turns out beggars can be choosers.

tradhead

I saw a girl outside the GPO arcade about a fortnight ago when I was leaving Penneys heading back to the office on my lunchbreak. She was barefoot, dressed in ragged clothes and looked absolutely terrible, wailing and crying and begging passers-by for some money.

I couldn't pass her, and had just got some fairly good news so I decided to give her a fiver. She thanked me profusely, called me an angel and asked me to sit with her for a minute. I was happy to do so as I thought she just wanted some company. She started to tell me how she is depressed and cuts herself (showed me the marks on her forearm), how she was abused from the age of six and is currently 12 weeks pregnant. To top it all off, her shoes had been stolen the previous night. She told me that she needed 40-odd euro per month to pay for her hostel which is run by Fr. Peter McVerry.

This is when I got annoyed. She asked me for more money, and I said that I couldn't give her anymore. As her feet were all bruised and sore-looking, I offered to run into Penneys and buy her a little pair of runners instead. She thanked me but said she would manage to get a pair from a charity shop later that day, and would I give her the price of the shoes instead. I opened my wallet to take out some change, and went to hand her another €4. She asked could I not give her more money, and when I said I couldn't she said "what about that paper money I can see in your wallet".

I probably should have left at this point, but told her I needed the money to pay rent, and offered her the €4 again. She took it, thanked me, and then asked would I buy her the runners now anyway!

I was late back for work at this stage so I just said I'd have to see, wished her the best of luck and walked away. I only wanted to help and although it wasn't a huge amount of money, it was a lot to me and I walked away feeling completely disillusioned and that I hadn't really made a difference at all.

fatknacker

That sucks that you felt fleeced and your kindness taken advantage of by someone desperate.
Everyone is much better off donating to the McVerry Trust and similar organizations, that way you can be sure your money is going out to to people genuinely in need, and gets them what they need too.

Roquentin

can someone please explain why the homeless dont just go on the dole and live in council flats instead of begging on the streets?

The Corinthian

jungleman wrote: »

You live in an utter fantasy land if you don't think that a hell of a lot of people just say "Romanians" when referring to gypsies. Seriously.

You appear to be confused by what I said. When I suggested small, I meant relative to the population, it might still be a sizable enough number - or at least appear so, especially if those are the social circles you are limited to, as you appear to be.

But seriously, I am just so impressed at how educated you must be, that is so great. I'm just gonna toddle off now and learn how to count and maybe try and spell stuff good too.

Whatever. I'm not really interested in your faux pas opinion - I thought that was clear. But if it makes you feel better to rail against me, fire ahead.

Tiddlypeeps

I think people really like to buy into the professional beggar myth because it makes them feel better about ignoring them. Nobody is making a killing from begging. There are certainly a few "chancers" out there who aren't homeless begging on the streets to try make up the money for whatever their substance of choice is but I don't really see them as being any more deserving of the vitriol thats spewed at them than actual homeless people. The vast majority of them are people who are down on their luck for whatever reason. Who the hell would reduce themselves to that for pittance if they didn't feel they needed to.

I'm not saying giving any of them (homeless or not) money is the solution as in most cases it's likely going to be spent on drugs/alcohol but spewing venom at them seems particularly unhelpful, and stealing their cup or whatever the OP was suggesting seems like a particularly scummy thing to do. Just say no and walk away, no need to "confront" them or "put them in their place", just walk away if you have no interest in helping them.

The reason a lot of them play up to maintaining the hobo look is because of people like the ones in this thread. If someone buys them a pair of shoes and they wear them, then other people who come along will see them and judge that they are clearly not homeless because they have new shoes.

I don't generally give money to beggars, I don't feel like it would be helpful. I can't say no if they ask for food tho.

jungleman

The Corinthian wrote: »

You appear to be confused by what I said. When I suggested small, I meant relative to the population, it might still be a sizable enough number - or at least appear so, especially if those are the social circles you are limited to, as you appear to be.

Whatever. I'm not really interested in your faux pas opinion - I thought that was clear. But if it makes you feel better to rail against me, fire ahead.

The only thing I'm railing against is that your only contribution to the thread has been to repeat the fact that I misrepresented Roma gypsies as an entire ethnic group. This was something I admitted was wrong and had written out of laziness.

Bringing the matter up again, and in the manner you did, was just an exercise in self indulgence and a look-how-superior-my-intellect-is type of attitude. Which is something I have no time for, but you obviously seem to enjoy. Your comments reek of delusions of grandeur, particularly regarding your enlightened social circle which you seem to be a member of.

I had already explained my comments and held my hands up admitting they were incorrect. I then considered the matter to be resolved. Obviously it isn't for you, for some reason.

Tiddlypeeps

Roquentin wrote: »

can someone please explain why the homeless dont just go on the dole and live in council flats instead of begging on the streets?

You need an address to sign on to the dole. There is emergency housing that they can avail of if things manage to get that far but in most of these cases you won't be allowed to drink or do drugs on the premises and I'm not sure how consistent the council are at providing this.

There are some hostels that offer cheap or free accommodation to the homeless but again most of these don't allow drink or drugs or allow intoxicated people entry.

Some have sever mental disabilities, some due to substance abuse and others just unlucky. These can make it difficult for them to interact with society at all so sometimes they end up on the streets.

Substance abuse and mental illness makes up the vast majority of cases. This makes it extremely difficult to help them, especially once it's progressed that far. The best thing people can do is put money into preventative services, mental health services in particular, but also drug addiction and drug prevention programmes.

traprunner

John_Rambo wrote: »

Anyone remember the barefooted beggar on Henry street in the 90's? His feet were mud scattered and trembling... but he had a mobile phone! Absolute chancer!
Edit... I saw so many elderly inner city women and men give him cash. Not good.

Are you sure it wasn't 2011?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056493052


Personally I would buy food and a drink for homeless. I donate money and food to Inner City Helping Homeless.

Lux23

I was coming out of the post office just before Christmas and a woman stopped me and said. "I have a fiver which is enough for a sandwich, crisps and coke from Tesco, but what I really want is a Chicken burger and chips so I need another €5".

I was so impressed with her neck that I gave her a tenner and told her to get a cream bun as well.

readyletsgo

I work on Store St Dublin, across from the MASSIVE store st garda station. Been here 8 years. The bus station is here......

The fu!king dregs of the junkies & drunks 'society' hang around this area from 8am till 7 or 8pm each every God damn day, its shocking. And it's mostly the same faces every day.

It's a God damn sh!t hole, full of the worst low lives in Dublin, crawling the area and harassing people working in the area, people sitting in that hideous square outside the garda station on their lunch.

Every two mins its the same damn filthy junkies screaming at you for money or smokes. I don't know how many times I've seen people give them pennies from their pockets only to get it thrown back in their face, literally. Cause it's pennies and not euro's.

Only thing I can't understand is how the garda that ARE around do nothing about them. Tourists see this first when they get to Dublin and get harassed, or when they are leaving.

Fcuking hell hole. Place drives me nuts when I get into work.


*now I know there is genuine homeless of course, but I guarantee you, feck all homeless on Store St. All Irish btw too.

Joe prim

The most interesting part of this thread is the increasingly heated exchanges between Jungleman and Corinthian, which i hope may eventually peter out into a friendship, and maybe more.....(unless they're both the same person?)

Dramatik

When I smoked, I used to give anyone who scabbed a smoke off me a silk cut ultra cigarette, oh the joy of seeing them light it up and realise that they couldn't get anything off it ha ha! I'd always be really nice to them as well, "Sure mate, no problem, there you go, have a good one!" Trying to keep a straight face while they're excessively thanking you is the hardest part.

boobar

the groutch wrote: »

had a guy a few years ago ask me for €2 to buy a coffee, he was wear a suit FFS!

Dress for the job you want...not the one you have.

fatknacker

boobar wrote: »

Dress for the job you want...not the one you have.

Dressing as a porn star got me fired from my last school.

arayess

when i worked in dublin city as a doorman , I got to know a fella looked mid 50s. was a big drinker by his own admission and had moved to limerick with some woman.

he'd come to dublin for the weekend and stay in a hostel said he made about 700e from fri & sat night begging around the wicklow street area and then get the bus home on sunday . This was mid 2000s

savage cash. Seemed a genuine story wasn't the usual "out of it" beggar.

colossus-x

jungleman wrote: »

You live in an utter fantasy land if you don't think that a hell of a lot of people just say "Romanians" when referring to gypsies. Seriously. I'm glad though that you have managed to point out that you are

1. Not poorly educated. Well done on that, I'm very impressed by how educated you must be.

2. Not ignorant. Correct, you are so wise that you use an internet forum to let everyone know how poorly educated I must be in comparison with you, O Great Moderator.

I've already explained that I used the term out of bad habit. That was me, holding my hands up and saying "yeah I was wrong". But congratulations for skipping past that and using your posts to put me in my place as some ignorant, out-of-touch troglodyte who is obviously not as educated and clever as you.

But seriously, I am just so impressed at how educated you must be, that is so great. I'm just gonna toddle off now and learn how to count and maybe try and spell stuff good too.

Your a jungleman, that's what you are.

RDM_83 again

arayess wrote: »

when i worked in dublin city as a doorman , I got to know a fella looked mid 50s. was a big drinker by his own admission and had moved to limerick with some woman.

he'd come to dublin for the weekend and stay in a hostel said he made about 700e from fri & sat night begging around the wicklow street area and then get the bus home on sunday . This was mid 2000s

savage cash. Seemed a genuine story wasn't the usual "out of it" beggar.

There's definitely money to be made in it, know somebody that was heavy in the squat scene here (so not exactly right wing!) who lived with somebody that paid for foreign holidays with begging money. Also saw a lad begging with an Ipad!
I know most are living a terrible life but if the money is there to support a serious addiction if you don't have an addiction its in your pocket

colossus-x

RDM_83 again wrote: »

There's definitely money to be made in it, know somebody that was heavy in the squat scene here (so not exactly right wing!) who lived with somebody that paid for foreign holidays with begging money. Also saw a lad begging with an Ipad!
I know most are living a terrible life but if the money is there to support a serious addiction if you don't have an addiction its in your pocket

And here's another man heavy into the squat scene

https://youtu.be/7mqSqwGJAMg?t=36


.

jungleman

colossus-x wrote: »

Your a jungleman, that's what you are.

:pac:

foggy_lad

colossus-x wrote: »

And here's another man heavy into the squat scene

https://youtu.be/7mqSqwGJAMg?t=36

Lol at the cartoon Dumbell, they usually have 10 Tonnes on them not 175kg.

chrissb8

Had some just flat out interrupt conversations I'm having. F**k off. I work in an offy I know you don't need the money for a hostel, I also know you don't need it for food. Who knows what they've been through to end up where they are but when they come in laughing and mouthing to their mate on the phone where they'll meet for a couple of cans my empathy becomes skewed to what your plight. Also the undue pressure some people feel to give them money just because they have a little bit of aggression in their tactics. Speaking well above speaking level with a rough accent. They know what their doing.

Best story I heard though was a case of that happening to a man who was on the phone and he was getting it all the loud begging claim for food hostel etc. He slowly put his phone down turned around glared him in the eyes and said the the cheeky s**t in the most calm and forward manner with an angry glare "f**ck off or I will flatten you" and went straight back to his phone call. Beggar was so taken aback he was almost apologetic. Serves him right. I feel for the ones who look genuinely defeated and really down on their luck not the one's who come in with €50 in €2 coins asking for a note and out for the sesh.

Jesus Wept

you seem angry chris

Kermit.de.frog

chrissb8 wrote: »

I feel for the ones who look genuinely defeated and really down on their luck not the one's who come in with €50 in €2 coins asking for a note and out for the sesh.

That's why I don't give any change any more. I don't know who the genuine "down on their luck" ones are any more. They have taken the consequences of the organised begging rings and also the authorities and our joke of a police force and judicial system that has done absolutely feck all to stop them.

Dublin is a small city center. How hard can it be?

Then again when junkies can pee up against Garda stations you kind of know how things stand.

SpaceTime

The Dark Side wrote: »

It'd be more like having an iphone 7.

Ah come on! Phones were around in the 1990s!
They were just limited to calls and texts and horrific interfaces.

We even had Snake! The Angry Birds of the time.

In early days of Telecom Éireann / P&T a mobile phone was one with a slightly longer cable. Really high tech was a phone you could plug in! Most of them were permanently wired to the wall socket thing!

efb

This should annoy the OP no end...

http://www.joe.ie/music/pic-an-outstanding-act-of-kindness-from-a-couple-with-a-spare-ed-sheeran-ticket/505580?utm_content=buffer3ba5f&utm_medium=Social+organic&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer

Cheese Wagstaff

I was in town a couple of years ago, and an asylum seeker came up to me begging. She thrust the usual handwritten card explaining her life story, and that she needed bread and milk to feed herself and her children. For whatever reason, I took out my wallet and handed her 2 or 3 euro. "There you go" I said, smiling at her.

She looks at the money, then back at me, then back at the money. She then holds out her hand again, pleading "Nooooo, MILK!".

I'd class myself as a very laid back person, but I actually lost it. "WHAT? You can get loads of milk with that!", and I had to walk away then because she started putting out her hand again. It was incredibly surreal.

kupus

I was in a little town once parked up waiting for somembody and a beggar came along with a hand written note saying how he was a war refugee from Kosovo and he couldn't speak English And how he badly needed cash etc......

Imagine his surprise when I asked him in his language what he needed the money for. He couldn't respond because lo and behold wait for it.......he wasn't from Kosovo at all.

SparkySpitfire

I was in McDonalds on Henry Street two weeks ago. There were two little girls around 10 going around with sponsor cards. They saw the looks me and my sister were giving them and didn't even try to approach our table. They went to a young, pregnant Indian couple seated next to me, and although I tried to shake my head at them behind the kids shoulders, they gave them a fiver.

The kids then proceeded to take their sponsor cards up to their mam (who was waiting near the tills with a buggy). She took the money, got them all meals and sat down smack bang in the middle of the people they'd just conned money out of.

That McDonalds had at least 2 security on that day, why they weren't tossed out on their arses I'll never know. It made me so angry to watch though.

Spanish Eyes

I think those who beg don't need to, and those who need to don't beg.

A generalisation for sure, but that's my observation.

Throw a few bob to the Capuchin Day Centre, or whatever similar is in your area. They do great work voluntarily, with an ever decreasing grant from central funds.

On the whole, there is no reason for anyone to beg in this country. Our SW rates are very generous together with Rent Allowance, Medical Card and all the rest of it.

There are some old timers who fall through the cracks. That is where the Capuchin place and the likes come into play.

Sometimes homeless just do not want to be homed. A lifestyle choice, good luck to them, that is not to say the supports are not there though, bad and all as they are sometimes. But no one has to live on the streets if they don't want to. There are places to go.

DEFTLEFTHAND

It's actually quite off putting walking around Dublin city centre with fellas looking for change for a 'hostel' and spare cigarettes.