How United Way is Telling you to Handle Homeless....Things

If we were lying to ourselves, this is who we would be:

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Stop Panhandling Atlanta
Panhandling is not the answer.

You lose because panhandlers often use your money to support their addictions to alcohol and drugs. They lose by continuing these destructive behaviors rather than seeking help. The more you give your change to panhandlers, the more their lives don’t change.

Food is readily available for those in need, as well as shelter and other support services. Supporting local organizations that provide these services is the best way to help. A donation of $100 can provide one week of transitional housing with intensive professional services for someone in need.

Invest in long-term solutions by giving your financial support and volunteering your time to help local organizations and service providers. To learn more about alternatives to handouts, please call the Ambassador Force of Downtown Atlanta at (404) 215-9600.
Responding to Panhandlers

* Asking for money is illegal anytime in Downtown Atlanta, and after dark throughout the City.
* If you would like to report an illegal panhandler, please call the Ambassador Force of Downtown Atlanta at (404) 215-9600. Of course, if you feel threatened or if the panhandler shows aggressive behavior, immediately call 911 for police assistance.
* If you encounter a panhandler, always walk away with certainty and confidence.
* Make eye contact and acknowledge the person with a nod. Choose to respond politely, and simply say “no” or “sorry”.
* If you want to offer panhandlers something, consider bottled water or food gift certificates rather than money

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This is a perfect example of who we are NOT, and how NOT to see the homeless people around you.

Inversehalo's prime directive to helping those who are homeless is to provide them with hope, friendship, and charity, not to look down on them as failures who are only going to squander any mercy thrown their way. The homeless are not sub-human things who are to be ignored and despised.
When we lose our ability to see ourselves in the meekest of our kind, then we are losing sight of who we really are.