It annoys TF out of me when people say "don't give homeless people money because they'll just buy drugs"

I honestly hate it when people say things like "don't give a homeless person money because they'll just buy drugs and/or alcohol."

What a stupid statement. It's not that the person saying it is incorrect. There is a high probability that the homeless/ panhandling person will buy drugs and/or alcohol.

My response to the statement is...so what? Could the vast majority of people who have a roof over their head and food in their stomach even possibly imagine what it would be like to be homeless? Could you imagine how profoundly stressful and horrible that would be? Even if addiction led them to homelessness, so what? No one should be homeless.

How could ANYONE expect any homeless person anywhere to not be addicted to substances? Are you kidding me? If that person needs a hit of whatever be it heroin, crack, cocaine, alcohol, meth, benzos etc than that is completely understandable and ON THEM. They are adults who can make their OWN decisions with THEIR OWN money.

This is the problem- some people see homeless people as 'not human' and say idiotic things like "get a job". They are PEOPLE who can make their own decisions and if they NEED to panhandle to make an INCOME like the rest of us then so be it.

The only exceptions are those horrible people who pretend to be homeless or in dire need of money when they already have money. I know every city has many, sadly.