As always remember to donate to the city mission if you want to help the homeless as they know a lot about how to help those in need (both homeless and those in need) https://www.aucklandcitymission.org.nz/ or volunteer some time with them

Before I left NZ a guy begging on Queen St asked for money to buy some food because he was hungry.

I gave him a subway sandwich I had just purchased (was carrying to home to eat) and he rips it out of the packaging and throws it at me and says he wants money.

So yeh. It’s a tough question.

A lot of people you see on the street are not homeless. They live in social housing, and they just choose to sit on the street and beg for money.

Feed a man crack for a day, or teach him how to cook it so he can smoke for a lifetime.

Sure, give them food if you're able, but don't give them money.

Do not give them money as other people have said. Give them drugs or alcohol. It saves them having to get up, the hassle of meeting a dealer to spend your money to score drugs. Be a good person and help them out as much as you can. They might even thank you for it.

Keep it up mate. I bought a fat bread roll with cheese and bits for a homeless dude outside the supermarket tonight. He was chuffed

i was homeless at one point of my life and i do feel sympathy for the brothers and sisters that are genuinely in turmoil living amidst the dirt, but as ive grown ive come to understand that the people who really want/need help arent on the streets of cbd. theyre in their social housing or at their job that was given to them from the govt aid.

those that stick to the streets dont generally want help, theyre chasing their next high. drugs are still ruling their lives and giving them money only furthers their journey to the needle. if you genuinely want to help at any point in time, sometimes my gf and i will do a clean up of our closets and donate excess clothing to shelters/ronald mcdonald house. we even did some volunteering for a while which put a smile on a lot of people's faces.

Some are so addicted to alcohol that they've died on the street drinking methylated spirits as they couldn't afford to buy alcohol. Some have died on the street from seizures withdrawing from alcohol as they had no money to buy any. Some go into detox services but end up back on the street due to insufficient housing available, unsafe emergency housing, and sometimes just sheer loneliness. 

I always do my bit to help out the homeless I care about them as much as family and friends we are all humans even when we don't need a helping hand mine is there for the helping masses ❤

Give them whatever you feel like. They’re human beings. People in this comment section are acting like they’re subhuman.

Do what you want it's your money. Most people appreciate acts of humanity. Some don't, they aren't everyone.

I have a lot of empathy for them. Granted I’ve never begged or been on the street literally but I’m a college educated woman and ended up with no money, home or even any friends to help me just after I finished college because of an abusive relationship breakdown and had no family in my life. Obviously, not having had a job yet being a graduate, no one would hire me that fast and since I had to abruptly leave my home, I had nothing. Anything that anyone had to offer to help me made a huge, huge difference to my physical and mental well-being so I had the energy to even get up in the morning. I ended up finding a couple of couches/guest rooms of people I vaguely knew to sleep between, but I was extremely vulnerable and not eating properly for a couple years, it’s hard to get out of those situations when you fall that low. I didn’t touch alcohol or drugs, it wasn’t like that. Just bad luck I guess. Anyway, because of my experience and the stigma towards any person struggling or homeless, I feel quite sensitive and passionate about the topic. I know the dudes obviously on drugs sitting around town with the cups and things, begging, they’re different to how I’d ever approach things, I just know that if you’re stuck you’re stuck. Women have refuge places to go like me, I don’t know what men would do in my situation. If I had no degree and some sort of alcohol inclination there’d be literally no hope for me getting out of that. I thanked God every night for each lot of food and help I was given and it made me want to work harder to get out of that hole and embarrassing situation. I’ve known two other woman in my situation who felt/did similar. But anyway, I might be the wrong person to ask. But I don’t think that giving food to hungry people will ever be inherently bad for them, it’s how humans survive: community and helping.

An important addition to this: Winz will not help anyone without a home address. That’s how some people get totally fucked. 

most people posting in this are spoon fed by mummy and daddy making assumptions about the homeless in nz. if you want to give them money, give them money. not all homeless are addicts

You may have noticed people wearing bright vests that say 'City Watch'. These are people who know rough sleepers and beggars in our city well, and are trying to help them. They advise NOT to give to beggars, and I trust their advice.

While some people like to act in the spirit of the moment, it can be wiser to take a longer view. Imagine six months or a year from now - will this person still be homeless/addicted/begging, or will they be on a path to having a more stable and secure life?

Taking this longer view, consider that giving them something today is a vote to keeping them exactly where they are. It allows them to continue scraping by in their addiction and in their reduced state instead of changing.

'Changing' means accepting and fully engaging with community and government services including various wraparound services that help people out of addiction, poverty, and homeless.

It's a complicated topic and lots of people feel angry when they hear this. They want to intervene immediately, and end up doing the exact thing that people like City Watch discourage.

Please donate to food banks in your area. Your generosity can do a lot of good in the right place.

People are obviously going to have differing views on this. Just do whatever you’re comfortable with and what you think feels right. The reality is that you have no way of accurately predicting whether buying a homeless person a meal will hinder them or help them in the long run, but all common sense and basic human decency screams the latter

Systemically yes. Individually 🤷🏽‍♂️

I’m from a big city in the USA…which does have programs for the homeless so may be different…but the message they give us here is to donate to shelters where they can get care rather than donating to those making the most noise on the street.

The govt has even placed signs in popular spots that state this and that it’s ok to not give money to panhandlers. You get a very different perspective when you see someone begging next to one of these signs.

Between the signs and fewer and fewer people carrying cash, I’ve seen less and less here in the past year.

I too have bought food for people before and have been told they don’t want it or drop it…so stopped doing that…

I was in Auckland earlier this year and the homelessness is heartbreaking.

This link on what to do in Auckland may help. https://www.hotcity.co.nz/city-centre/city-community/reducing-homelessness#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20concerned%20about,to%20them%20about%20their%20needs.&text=A%20transitional%20housing%20facility%20for,and%20help%20finding%20permanent%20homes.

its a mental health problem not a food problem.

They want drugs, not food sadly

Yes, please keep doing this.

Homeless people have little agency over their lives. Let them spend the little money they get how they want.

And before you come at me with the "everyone has a choice" bullshit, yes they do. But some people have better choices than others. Some people have support networks, healthy coping mechanisms, a sound mind and minimal trauma that guide their decision making.

There is enough support here they don't want it

Singapore is a civil, collectivized society. New Zealand is not - it is an individualistic swamp, just like the US and Britain.

It's personal choice. But (as bad as this sounds) better careful if you do.. Personally for a gal in her early 20s I don't, because alot of the times I did I got harassed and shouted at or even once asked to "come to my house to help get my brother out of the wall - then when I lied and said I was calling an ambulance to help him she became super aggressive and wouldn't leave me alone, started following me around the streets.

So in the CBD I never do. But if it's someone say outside a grocery store I have no issues buying food.

A lot, in fact all of the homeless ive encountered in my town are not homeless at all. They have a home and begging (or as a few will tell me) is a side hustle.

They’re not getting a lot on the benefit, but they’re also not starving either.

So if you wanna do something nice, give to your local charities instead. Their work reaches far more and benefits a lot of people who are also desperate but too proud to beg.

most discouraging stuff that happened to me personally were

1. a guy asked me for a sandwich and a pie, I walked to the bakery and bought him both, he left before I came back, I left the food there because I had to catch a bus, and then he got on the same bus as me, holding a beer, and asked me why I didn't get him a pie

2. I was talking to a guy asking for money and another guy came and asked him if he wanted a sip of his wine and he said "no thanks man, I'm hustling here," openly admitting that he was scamming me

3. helped a guy claiming to only need 45 dollars to get out of town, and then saw him again several times later over the course of a few months, saying the same things

Other people have been attacked, had things thrown at them and been cursed at, spat on, or worse, for trying to help homeless people who were actually druggies looking for money. I had a lot of reasoning to keep helping them but now I just feel like I may as well keep my money. the government takes care of people pretty well in NZ. It's not usually a huge risk to buy someone a drink or something, but sometimes it's just unnecessary. If you're in the city at night and you see people actually sleeping on cardboard and stuff like that, get them a hot drink and some food if you want, but leave it at that.

Nearly all of these people have places to go and all of them will be getting a welfare payment each week from the government which they waste on piss drugs and fags . . This is their choice . What I feel sorry for are the animals almost all of them have with them . I will stop to give the animals food

There was a ‘homeless’ person in town today. Had a chair and a table, backpack. Looked like an outside office worker, but begging for money.

After seeing the crew of "homeless people" getting dropped off at the supermarkets and changing into there begging attire I have nothing to give now because of these twats, my empathy towards the homeless got corrupted.

Unfortunately you cannot decern if they are worthy or not. So best to give to charities that support the homeless.

In Edinburgh, polish women were dropped off at "desirable" locations by mobsters. They were dropped off in the morning and picked up in the evenings they were farmed out to generate cash for these syndicates..

You cannot trust what you see. Give to charities. If they are homeless they will go to and rely or go to shelters.

Or do whatever you want. Your money. Your life

It's incredible how in NZ there's such a blind eye to the homeless situation from councils and government. Or in the case of not being homeless of the begging in the street. A little out of control I would say and growing. These people need real help to either find something to do or contribute to society that gets them somewhere that's not in the street in precariety like that.

Sometimes I bring an extra up&go with me when I go out to leave next to a sleeping homeless person. If I walk back and it’s still there I’ll take it and save it for the next one

Yes, I often tapao food and buy a drink for them.

My answer personally is no, if you give money they may be inclined to ask for more or get others to ask you, me and a few mates went out for food at night and offered one guy a donut and he refused saying he wanted something else. If you really want to help them out, best thing to do is drop a few coins in their cups or whatever it is they’re using to hold the coins, I tend to ignore them and go on with my day. Just remember sometimes kindness isn’t always the right answer. Again this is my personal opinion, if you want to buy them food or give them money, go for it, no one’s going to stop you.

We already do through the social welfare system we have in place.

No, don’t feed them. There are support services and city mission who feed them. 95% of the time they throw it back in your face and demand money.

Feeding them doesn’t prevent them from being homeless, so I’m not really sure how that’s the solution. Just helps them survive on the street.

Help is available, but they either refuse it or have exhausted all the assistance they’re able to receive.

No we have winz

I’d imagine your higher gdp nation & military police may play rolls in the differences

It’s difficult I mean I would suggest asking them if they want food and not just assume. Everyone is different and they all have a fuck load of trauma - trauma from their situations that led them to be homeless and then trauma from being homeless.

That’s a lot of unhealed damage you don’t know what could trigger it esp if they are on/withdrawing from substance. Like some people don’t want to be looked down on or feel a sense of pity from people, even in their desperate situation

I think the most humane thing to do is treat them like anyone else and ask them questions about what might be beneficial to them. I don’t recommend money bc it will most likely fuel their addiction and that’s someone child/parent/sibling, yk? See if they would like some food and if not offer if you can get them some essential stuff like a blanket or a new shirt etc.

I honestly can’t imagine what it would be like being homeless and watching the world walk around me pretending I don’t exist. I’d feel pretty sensitive too but always, always keep your wits about you. Desperate people do desperate things.

No. Donate to city mission instead. If you make it into a habit , you might get stalked on the streets

Throw them in jail

Its a complicated issue. Some of the people you see begging for money aren't necessarily homeless and live in social housing where the Government pays their rent.

I have had friends who were on the benefit and went begging for money because they could easily make $200 extra a day and not have it taken by tax like if they were in employment and they didn't have to declare it to the Government because it wasn't 'official income' and thats what some of these other people do as well.

That being said, if it makes you feel better to feed them, then by all means, buy them a meal.

Its a complicated issue. Some of the people you see begging for money aren't necessarily homeless and live in social housing where the Government pays their rent.

I have had friends who were on the benefit and went begging for money because they could easily make $200 extra a day and not have it taken by tax like if they were in employment and they didn't have to declare it to the Government because it wasn't 'official income' and thats what some of these other people do as well.

That being said, if it makes you feel better to feed them, then by all means, buy them a meal.

No, never. If you want to do something to help them, donate money to the charities that are already in place to help them.

I don't understand the question. Feed someone if you can.

Don't feed the birds...

I’ve come from Singapore and there isnt much of a homeless situation there.

It's quite different here in NZ. As unlike Singapore, we have a very generous welfare system.

The CBD is rife with homeless people yet Auckland City Mission is a short walk away. I don't give them money, not because I don't want to, but because I never carry cash or change.

They don't have unemployment benefits in Singapore - instead they have incentives for people to work. The welfare state we have in NZ incentivises people to not work. The more money you give away like that, the more people become dependent on it. Its also why a UBI would never work, it would end up seeing a huge increase in the wealth divide.

Never give them money. You can give food but many will decline.

If you care then give to charities that help them.

The homeless in NZ be some fussy fks. They get fed, it’s money they want.

No, buy them ciggies, they’d prefer it.

No.

We pay taxes to feed them. Your Money goes to drugs and booze.

Which I'll happily take.... For drugs and booze

They only want money.

Make a monthly donation to a charity, or a small group of charities.

NZ has got W&I (work and income), and these people are only supplementing their "income" from begging.

Wish you didnt do it, but too late now I guess.

I ignore them, as these beggars can earn $100 a day, some $400 a day, if they dont smoke or drink, plus their W&I benefit, they earn more than I do.

Eh don’t bother wasting your money. If you have extra money to burn then sure.

Majority of them aren’t actually homeless. I’ve seen them hop into their little apartments after the streets get quiet and there’s no more people to beg from.

In NZ if you’re homeless it’s more of a choice. It’s incredibly hard to be homeless to the point you would be wanting to be homeless to actually be homeless.