I mentioned upthread about how I only give to those who have clearly and unambiguously hit rock bottom.
But here's why I never give to anyone panhandling, especially at a freeway on-/offramp: I've seen the kind of trash they leave, which is not visible to motorists.
In the last town I lived in, 10-20 years ago, the usual begging spot was on the street leading out of the local mall and onto a major arterial street. There was a McDonald's just above that corner, and the drainage ditch below it was always clotted with full McDonald's bags. People who wanted to help would drive through McD's, pick up a bag of food, hand it to whoever was out begging, and most of the time it would end up tossed in the ditch, unopened.
In my current city, I noticed a few years back that there was a lot of litter around one onramp I used all the time. Some friends and I occasionally pitched in on trash cleanup projects, so one quiet Sunday morning I took a little reconnaissance trip down the onramp to see just how much trash was down there, and how many people we'd need.
What I found was lots of full water bottles (handed out by motorists), and even more empty malt liquor cans and plastic pints of vodka (definitely not handed out by motorists). I found untouched bags of food--both fast food and groceries. I found bags of toiletries and food put together by people who wanted to help, which only ended up discarded. I found countless empty cigarette packs and cigarette butts, quite a few tiny, empty zip-lock bags, and a few used syringes. Oh, and piles of human shit, and the reek of urine (on top of stale malt liquor and rotting food). There were filthy mattresses pulled up into the bushes, and areas of bare dirt where people obviously hung out, and several box-flap signs already there for the choosing.
Not to mention I also found a couple of guys who were camped under the adjacent overpass, one of whom I was used to seeing on the onramp, cardboard sign in hand, looking appropriately humble and downcast. They were not at all happy at the idea that a bunch of respectable citizens might want to come clean up their campsite. It was, in one guy's words, "none of your fucking business what we do here, so get the fuck out."
Well, okay then.
We never ended up cleaning the site because before long there were more full-time campers on the slope below the onramp, just out of sight of motorists, and it was potentially too dangerous.
When I'm on that onramp, and the metered stop is on, and I have time to safely look off to the side, into the bushes, there's always at least 3 or 4 people hanging out, drinking and smoking, while one guy is out begging. You don't have to look too hard to see them anymore (as they've trampled all the vegetation down to bare dirt), but you do have to look.
Oh, and then there was this morning's early-riser, first beggar of the new year, who was slugging Steel Can Reserve malt liquor at 7:30 AM while waiting for the next wave of cars to come up the offramp and stop at the red light. From my high-and-mighty perch on a Metro bus, I could see him drink, and also the scatter of empty cans flung into the bushes, out of sight of motorists.
I donate to the food bank. I support other organizations that help people in need get back on their feet. But I don't fund active substance abuse, and the filth and destruction that goes with it, and feel no guilt at all when I pass someone with a cardboard sign and a forlorn expression. There are resources available if they are in genuine need, but they've chosen otherwise.
