Feeding A Hobo Is A No No

Just an article I had to write for my school paper.

“Got me some spare change?” asks the toothless, haggard and deranged-looking man sitting on the dirty sidewalk with his illegible cardboard sign and pet rats as you stroll through the New York streets.  Now, I’m sure we all were able to envision this quite easily due to our proximity to the major city, and most of us probably even recalled instances where they have faced the exact situation.

According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (Yes, the government actually funds this program as opposed to helping the homeless), estimates the annual number of homeless persons in America between 2.3 and 3.5 million.  More comforting, these numbers have seen a 12 percent increase since 2007.  As of March 18, 2013, a recent study by the New York City Department of Homeless Services reported a total of 48,471 homeless individuals.  Lucky for us New Jerseyans, homelessness in New Jersey has dropped 20 percent as stated by state Human Services Commissioner, Jennifer Velez.

So with these increasingly high amounts of homeless people roaming the streets begging us for five cents so they can buy cigarettes and some Jack Daniels, we often wonder how do we handle these panhandlers.  As someone who frequents the city and has parents who have worked in New York City for the majority of their lives, they always gave me some advice on dealing with homeless people.

First, as hard as it may sound, try your best not to make eye contact; this isn’t Ripley’s Believe It or Not. A peek or a glance is fine, but keeping your head down and avoiding full eye contact whatsoever is the key to saving yourself from getting sucked into their elaborate, yet fascinating stories about why you should give them money. Save yourself the guilt trip and the time.

However, if you happen to get involved in conversation with a hobo, try not to talk about family life or how he became homeless, this will only irritate him. (This statement was backed up by most hobos, according to hobo Larry “Stretchnuts” Haggerty).  When it comes to the topic of drugs and alcohol, if you have the nerve to mention this to a hobo without offering them these goods, you can expect a response such as “stop teasing me you little college &$@!” as Haggerty says.

If you want to do a good deed, handing a hobo a couple pennies or giving him your leftover, unwanted meal is a big no-no for two reasons. First, even to some hobos, that is a slap in the face; after all, they are human too and do not want your scraps or pennies.  Another reason is feeding them may be counterproductive because it may actually cause hobos in surrounding areas to come out from the garbage cans they were once lurking in. Next thing you know, you’re buying foot-longs for everyone.  Also when it comes to spare change, hobos have what we can call a sixth sense.  They can hear the ching and the chang of change in your tailored pockets from 10 Manhattan blocks away.  Throw a handful of pennies their way, and chances are they will be asking for quarters the next day.

If you keep on giving to hobos you may end up just like them.