Don't give the rich money. They'll blow it on cocaine, prostitutes, hush money, religious fascist foundations, and crypto scams.
this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2026
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"don't give the homeless money because they'll just spend it on drink/drugs"
So would I
Yeah while I've always known systemic support to homeless people is objectively a good thing and most people take advantage of opportunities granted to them, I've also known that individual support to homeless people, like throwing a beggar a few dollars on the street, will likely lead to them buying drink/drugs/whatever habit gets them through.
And you know, so what? I'm giving them money to help them. Why the hell should I care if they're using it to get high? Literally living on the streets. It's the smallest comfort for them. Not like my contribution was ever going to get them a house.
Honestly? Even if they were going to spend it on drugs or booze, I wouldn't judge them. If you're tossed out by society and forced to sleep rough, a mental escape via drugs or booze might just be the salve needed to make it through the next night. I get drunk sometimes for the escape of it and I'm housed, I can't imagine the horrors of living on the streets and being constantly judged by those who are allegedly the pro humanitarian types. (that said, I don't usually have cash but if I see someone outside a store I'll offer a drink or some food if I can afford it that day)
A rich conservative Capitalist of the British diapora, Rob Ford, has alchoholic problem even when he is able to become the mayor of Toronto, Canada.
It is insanely easy to end up homeless, the vast majority of the working class could last a month, maybe two if they've got some savings.
What's noticeable here is the £2,000 given is quite a big lump sum, actually capable of helping people make a difference. It'd be inhumane to test it, but if that £2,000 was split up into 12 payments of £166, would it have made as much of a difference? I doubt it. Yet that's how most benefits work, a pittance a month. Just enough to keep you alive, nowhere near enough to actually help lift people out of poverty.
That's a good point. Especially with how benefits are usually granted for a short time and many people fail the reassessments, get into debt to survive before the appeal reinstates their benefits, it's difficult to even get out of the debt cycle on benefits. But they get accused of being feckless.
Also, If you're addicted to certain hard drugs, going cold turkey can literally kill you. So you literally need to spend part of your money on drugs. In that case it seems hypocritical not to want them to spend your money on drugs. "Okay, your rehab starts in two weeks and I don't want you to die tonight, so please buy the minimum amount of drugs you need for today, but do it with someone else's money. Please spend my money on a healthy smoothie instead."
The people who say that think that since they're homeless it's their fault and they will never change, which is both wrong and dehumanizing. It's even more absurd when you consider that in the USA, the most anti-homeless country ever, around 70% of people are living paycheck to paycheck, so they are one tragedy away from becoming homeless too.