It's even worse when you realize they don't want work at all. When I see a "will work for food" sign, if I have extra money, I manufacture work (if I have reservations about having the guy near my home I may offer to drive to a "you wash it" car wash and let him wash my car while I enjoy a nice cold one in the shade (and heck, if he does a good job, I'm not averse to giving him a nice cold one either...a good way to show that there are rewards for honest work). By the way, I'm not being sexist when I say "him": I don't pick up female beggars. Too much opportunity for false accusations there.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience.

How lovely to see this in the featured section. I'm sorry your wife was so scared. As a recent homeless person and on behalf of many other homeless people, thank you for not judging all homeless people by a few you have seen. Most homeless people are not on any kind of assistance and many are very unaware of the fact they could probably get on SSI. Just think, if someone went around and talked to these people, helped them get on assistance, they might be off the streets. What a wonderful thought.

What is the big issue?

It's a publication created by a homeless charity with news, current affairs, music and culture articles that homeless people are licenced to sell and retain some of the money made.

I understand the point of the article and can sympathise - I would be feeling much like you if my wife suffered the same. There are genuine homeless out there on the streets and these people I do feel sorry for. The main problem that I find in England is that there are too many "professional" beggars, who aren't genuinely homeless. Hell, I've even seen them checking their mobile phones for text messages and even using a bank card to withdraw cash once!

These are the people that are the real problem, and the reason why I no longer give cash to people on the street. It's a sorry state of affairs, but relects the general degradation of British society, and is one of the key reasons I'm emigrating. Some of these people should go and see the horribly disfigured and scarred beggars outside Chatuchat market in Bangkok - then they would think twice ... though I suspect they wouldn't even notice they existed!

As with any grouping, you are going to get those who abuse the system. They are there in any walk of life, from government down to the homeless. Its difficult not to stereotype, as the ones who stick in your memory are normally the ones who have done the most shocking things.

This was a great article, and I totally see where you're coming from, we have lots of Big Issue sellers in Manchester and you have to walk past loads of them and continually say I've just bought one of the guy I passed 2mins ago. Most of the time they look at you like you're telling porkies anyway! I'm sorry your wife got scared, there is no need for that behaviour and I would of been exactly the same in that situation, these people maybe going through hard times but thats no need to lose complete human decency.

I once saw a man with a "will work for food" sign on a road near my house

hehe...there is this guy that I see *every time* I take this certain exit.  He holds a well made, easy to read sign that says (wait for it.............) "Will stay sober for food"   Can you believe that?  What a great reason to give somebody a handout!  They will stay sober!  Yay!

Getting people off the street and onto welfare is not solving the problem.  They need to get off the street and into some sort of work.

There *are* most definitely professional beggars. About once a week, while Im stood at the tram stop on the way home from work, this one girl comes around and asks me for cash. When I dont give her any, she gives me a sarcastic remark and walks off in a huff. Every single godamn week

Here's where the debate really begins: Are most homeless people victims of circumstance or just sad losers of society?  I would argue the latter.  Most homeless people are either mentally ill or addicted to drugs/alcohol. 

We had a debate like this awihle back and I provided countless statistics to research on the homeless. While there are some homeless people who are legitimate down on their luck, they are the exception, not the norm.

I happen to do volunteer work with the homeless and you are not seeing the faces that I see, sure there are many who are just lazy but far from the majority. I would say that Drug and Alcohol abuse are the main problems, only about 30% have a Mental illness. Can you imagine what it is like to try and find a job when you have no address and no phone number for prospective employers to call you if they are interested. Until they have a place to live they will never be able to break the cycle they are caught up in. Can you imagine what it is like to come home from a hard days work, when you can find a days work, in the middle of a Canadian winter to crawl into you comfy spot under a bridge to try and rest up for another day of work. There is no hot shower and warm bed for these people. Even trying to get assistance is dificult if you do not have a residence. One of the writers on this thread mentioned just taking his proof of address to the Church for a handout, they lack this basic human right. I have found that if you treat a person with respect they will learn to respect themselves and others. That's all I have to say.

Horatio is justified in his horn blowing; yet it says something about the state of the nation's neglect with respect to problems at home. These homeless need government projects, both work and rehabilitation. Those, like the one in this illustration, require civilian or military boot camp.

schizo1988 - what an insightful comment! It is very true. In order to get food at most of the food banks, you need proof of residence. During my homeless time,after a lovely man let us stay in one of his empty apartments, there was a total of seven of us that banded together to work daily and try to get enough money to get a place of our own. The only reason I was able to get food was because I had put a phone in the apartment where we were staying so I had that as a proof of residence. My daughter was ill at the time and you will never know how thankful I was for that carpeted floor for her to lie on.

Here's where the debate really begins: Are most homeless people victims of circumstance or just sad losers of society? I would argue the latter. Most homeless people are either mentally ill or addicted to drugs/alcohol.

Menal Illness is just that, an illness. A disease. Alcoholism and other Drug dependencies are defined by the AMA as diseases. Link

So you are explicitly identifying sick people as the sad losers of society, and stating that these losers are the majority. Diseases and illnesses do not come about from poor life choices. No one chooses to be schizophrenic. I realize it's a stretch to call many crackheads 'victims' of a disease; many have brought this damage onto themselves. But they are indeed sick whether self inflicted or not, and the onus is on others to argue the AMA's diagnosis, not me. A less hasty judgment of these people would reveal that many have pre-existing conditions such as fetal aclohol symndrome, sexual abuse, and a lot of nasty stuff most wouldn't dream of that are out of their control which precipitated their slide down skid row.

I strongly agree that most of the homeless are mentally ill or suffering from substance abuse, I just disagree with your characterization of the sickest and most vulnerable members of our society as sad losers.