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Let's Chat About Homelessness: A Little Change

Let's talk about money...
Money is an uncomfortable subject for many.
No sugar coating here, most of the people who are asking you for money on the street are not so much scamming you, but embellishing a story. There is good and bad to what I am about to share with you.  Most of it is stuff you already suspected.  Still, keep in mind that the people who ask you for money are a small part of the homeless community...a very small part.
The key to doing this project, is that I blend in and people tend not to notice or bother me.  The people who ask for money when I have been around have not noticed me watching them and seeing what they are doing with it. No, I have not found a welfare queen who begs for money on one corner and hops into a Cadillac on the next corner.

How to...
The key from what I have seen is to either be very specific or very vague about the amount you need and why.
"Hey, I just need $.55 to get on the bus."  There is a specific ask in that sentence.  The average person is not going to count out exactly $.55, but the fact that there is a number implies that the request is honest and the person is seeking that money for that purpose. The person is likely to just give a dollar and be done with it.  I watched a man get, what I guessed was about $8-$10 or so in about half an hour. People kept giving him bills but he never got on MARTA.

Then there are the vague accounts of people who just need some change.  They don't claim it is to eat or because some recent tragedy.  They just want change.  They get a good cardboard sign and find their spot.

All of the good spots are spoken for, by the way.  Most off ramps and productive intersections with long lights are locked down with regulars.  People try to bypass them by not rolling down their windows as they stop and wait for the light to change.  Some people give out bags of food; energy bars, chips, etc. Those who do give, as  a person slides between cars with a cardboard sign, are more than willing to just  give out a handful of change from the center console.

This is not to discourage people from giving.  I have yet to encounter a serious drug addict, but neither do I see people buying food with your donated money.  Mostly it is to buy cheap beer.  Your change buys a moment of comfort for the most part.  Not for a mortgage on a big house, but neither is it for heroine nor for a meal.

When we beg you for money, it is mainly for stuff like this project.  Two weeks on the street is taking its toll and if you would like to help out, you can make a donation here, We use the money to buy coffee!


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