[DemolitionRed]

A lot of these people aren’t technically homeless. They often live in hostels but don’t get enough social to survive without begging. Observe how many more beggars there are towards the end of the week and the weekend than at the beginning of the week. These people must find a way to make ends meet when the money runs out. Also consider that a lot of homeless or critically poor people suffer from mental illness and rely on self-medicating (which often doesn’t work when a persons mentally ill) and or have addictions and being an ex smoker, I know how hard it is to kick an addiction; especially if you are feeling low.

Then there are scammers who just see begging as a means to make tax free money. Scammers often ask for bus fare or a cigarette so I always deny them but I do give to people who look genuinely down and out. I also give a couple of quid to my local Big Issue guy but don’t take the magazine and I’ve been known to buy multi packs of socks in Primark and give those to someone who looks like they need them more than I do.