Huge problem in London. When I moved out of my flat, I offered to give a homeless guy - who I gave spare change to everyday I passed him outside the tube station - my old pillow (as I had just bought a new one) and his response was ''No mate, I have some in my flat but cheers anyway pal!'' WTF
Because they refused your drool-soaked pillow they aren't worthy of begging? Uhhh he could be in emergency/temporary accommodations (that are furnished). Just having a roof over his head doesn't mean he doesn't need food or transport. Maybe he has a family to support as well.
Aidan Francis Just because someone has an apartment doesn’t mean they have enough money to live comfortably. I have a friend who has a flat with a couple roommates, but has to play an instrument on the street for change to get enough money to eat.
Massive problem in London and Lewisham don't know if anyone seen it on RUclips there's a bloke and he's sitting there and he's homeless and then this black guy gets out of his nice sports car goes over to him and says I give you some money and buy yourself no clothes and some food and goes and gets his haircut and buy some new clothes as I said before my boyfriend saw that and you turn around said you know that post you put up about the homeless guy on RUclips in Lewisham my boyfriend turned around and said it was a complete fix that bloke was not homeless it was complete scan see you soon around in Lewisham all the time and he's been arrested for it as well a few times... I do apologise if this doesn't make much sense but you'll get the Drift of what I'm saying because I'm dyslexic I speak into a microphone because my spelling it is so bad so I do apologise
I literally tried to give a "homeless" guy a box of cookies recently but he refused saying he's not hungry... if you want to know who's really homeless, offer them food! if they don't take it, they also don't need your money
this certainly is NOT true. many people are reliant on drink/drugs which suppress their appetites and they often have already eaten what they can for the day. also homeless people are often pretty well stocked in terms of food, as well as get given junk food all the time or are unable to eat certain foods for health reasons such as allergies (yes homeless people do care about those things). money is more important to give to homeless people so that they are able to buy other essentials such as money for shelter, socks, warmer clothes, even the drugs they need, because without they could die. whilst they are on the street, the best thing the public can do for them is give them money, because that is most helpful to their situation.
@@greenyblueish6138 would you eat some randoms leftovers who just walked up to you on the street? No? I wouldn't either. From my experience, homeless people are very wary of taking food from strangers because they don't know where it came from or what has been done to it. These people have often been burned by society so don't scorn them for being cautious. If you want to help them, volunteer with a local charity and give them some of your time. You'll see the truth then.
Daniel Pike if you’re genuinely homeless your last concern is having people look at you with shame , 1000’s of people walk past homeless people everyday , chances are if they are Hiding their face all the time they probably are faking it.
@@ethanmarvin1573 there's an example on the comment section about a homeless person who was so ashamed and he didn't want people knowing he was homeless.
I was confronted by a guy while I was sitting at the window of a chicken shop having a chicken meal, he asked me for some change, I asked are you hungry he replied spare some change, I said I'll buy you anything you would like to eat, he said spare some Change, I said no and carried on eating, thought I share that...
He didn't look like an addict he actually looked like a scammer he wasn't dirty and had decent clothes on, and I still offered him food knowing he may be a scammer. I went with my instincts, I'm not exactly in a position to give charity right now and you don't know my own situation right now, I don't want to bring the violins out, but even though I'm going through troubled times I had the heart to offer him what I can't really afford, I didn't have the heart to turn someone away if they want food be it poor or not. just thought I put that out there for those who think I'm being a pri..
I have witnessed fake beggars, saw one getting into his BMW, he got changed first and put his dirty clothes in the boot, he makes between a 1000 and 1500 a week, pretending to be an homeless ex service man in the paras, he has since been arrested. There's loads of fake beggars in Leeds one guy has 2 Akita dogs and he gets loads of money then goes home to his house, I tried talking to him about it and he starts getting abusive. These parasites make it harder for real homeless people to get by.
@@imaniman6797 Yes but I usually see him sat outside The Core centre on the Headrow by the money exchange shop, he sits by the banks too, his hands are clean and his dogs are too well looked after for street dogs. Meanwhile the real homeless guy sits outside Tesco Express over the road he never asks for anything.
Tirdfish, I agree what the fake beggars are doing is ridiculous and unfair, but from my perspective the issue isn't so much with them "making it harder for real homeless people to get by" - as people - homeless or not - shouldn't be relying on begging to get by. People shouldn't be giving cash to beggars - homeless or not, they are out there begging - making our high streets unpleasant and sometimes dangerous - because they're being given cash! I truly empathise with people who are homeless or in dire need due to illness, mental health problems, substance misuse/addiction, abuse or any other issues and life circumstances; and I do strongly believe that as a society we should help these people get the help and rehabilitation they need to stabilise their lives and work. But there's a difference between facilitating rehabilitation and opportunities to find work and sustain themselves or in some way contribute to society and improve their own lives; and endlessly throwing cash at them, which sadly, a lot of the time funds substance misuse. And even if they genuinely only spend it on necessities, it still doesn't help them long term, as it doesn't help them to actually improve their situation - which would be improved by getting accommodation and work. We should have more organized efforts to help them turn their lives around - whether government funded through taxes or charity organizations - people should donate to those so that their charitably given money is used productively to actually change lives. So people should just donate their money to sensible, helpful organisations, and STOP GIVING OUT CASH TO BEGGARS!!! - That would actually improve the lives of people genuinely in need of help and eliminate the problem of lazy bums fake begging instead of working.
Sadly this is true in some places. My own town ive witnessed with my own eyes, "beggars" getting up and getting in cabs or actually bumped into them working. Its an insult to those who are genuine. I don't give money ill donate to local homeless charities and have worked in soup kitchens before. It is on the rise and its wrong to prey on someones generosity when you are faking it
Job market in the U.K. is shit at the moment. Until the government comes up with better initiatives to help improve wages and get people into sustainable jobs I don’t see why people wouldn’t chance their arm as a professional beggar. They’ve clearly got good enough acting skills for it.
If there were no real homeless, there wouldn't be fake ones. Invest more in housing and help them get the real ones off the streets, that is the real problem. In a modern society homelessness simply shouldn't exist. This makes me sad, really does
TAN You are truly oblivious. Politicians can squabble, blame, desperately defend themselves but will never get to the underlying issue which directly or indirectly influences many of the biggest talking points in British politics. They do this to keep the public ignorant. Mass immigration is the primary cause of the housing crisis.
It's easier to blame people then to except this society is so broken people sometimes have no choice but to turn to life on the streets. I'm disgusted by this BBC report and they did a whole series following homeless people around now they're turning and pointing the finger at them. I guess what ever gets them views right? Because even after filming the homeless people series after series they were still on the street and until its proven otherwise I doubt they were even fairly paid for being a part of the BBC series. Shameful
@UniverseSix Hit That's a very touchy subject, but what I will say is there is definetly a housing crisis and there are more people homeless than there are homes the governments willing to give them. The really sad thing is there are thousands (likely more but I dont know the statistics) of empty, perfectly decent homes people could be placed in, but they remane empty. There are some good documentaries/ reports on this and I can't for the life of me understand why councils/ government/ who ever is in charge of those particular empty houses would rather keep them empty than to alleviate the housing crisis in our country!!!
There was one guy who was pleasant enough, always sat at the same place. Kept giving money because I thought he was an alright guy. Went to a pub far enough from where he usually sat, and there he was with another "homeless guy", new clothes, buying booze, eating dinner, carrying bags with their "homeless attire". Surprisingly, they were never the ones out on the streets come night time, in the cold like some others were. (This was in Canterbury). Ever since then, I have been reluctant to give people money. I have met a genuinely homeless guy in London though, guy slept under the bridge around Kings Cross, ended up being turfed out. Approached me early morning (about 2am), broke down crying when I not only gave him money, but asked him about his circumstances. Apparently security kept getting him to move around that day, and I was the first guy to ask him how he felt. He and I had a talk for about 5-10 minutes about him losing his house and being treated poorly by security. Didn't ask me for any more money the whole time whilst we were talking and he told me he had some issues. Guys like that suffer from these fake beggars who don't help with the stigma around homelessness.
There was once a homeless man near my dad when he was younger, I never met the guy but my Dad told me tales. This was out in the countryside rather than a town or city so that was a little unique. The homeless man was more like a hermit in reality and reputedly to live in nearby caves and was able to forage for some of his food and had a particular favourite bench drenched in sunlight during the summer where he would sit and greet any passersby kindly. He didn't really beg but wouldn't refuse if someone wanted to share a picnic and was known in the local villages as a nice guy that locals need not be afraid of and over the years the man was considered part of the community despite not actually living in the dwellings there. As was inevitable one day the man passed away but the local villages all pulled together to arrange a proper funeral and the local church donated a plot.
There is a young guy who sits outside my local tescos begging. He has ok clothes and his hair looks well kept. Ive given him change, had a few conversations with him about skateboarding (he has a skateboard with him) and bought him pasta which he asked for. I assumed he was homeless or at least unemployed and struggling. Then one day i see him working in a high end patty shop in central london. Our eyes met and he shat himself. Ive seen him once since and he looked panicked. Will be confronting him next time. This is a real problem. Ask people about their situations before you give them money.
But do you not think you might be making assumptions about him there again? Retail/food sector pays really really shitty wages, and rent in London is sky high. I doubt his idea of fun is begging outside a Tesco - it might be he still can't afford his rent/to support himself even with that job. You sound like a pretty compassionate person to have given him things in the first place, maybe continue that and ask about his situation before you confront him about it! Plenty folk have jobs with wages that aren't nearly enough to live off :(
@@bibtebo I'd probably shit myself too if I was in his position tbh even if I knew I had genuine reasons for begging! I hope you weren't being duped and all goes well!
There's a "homeless" guy near where I live. He sits outside the local Tesco express and begs every day, before getting on his bike and riding down the road to his flat.
I lived in Liverpool for three years and the amount of empty housing stock in that city is crazy. I've never understood why there are so many homeless people in a city, when there are literally rows and rows of streets of empty houses. It baffles me
Some of them actually do not want to work, while some actually (genuinely) want to find work and a roof over their heads, it's abit of whack a mole to find genuine homeless people and then to findout the ones who are fraud/fke homeless people.
They look 'fine' from the outside but are in desperate need for renovation. There are streets and streets filled with them and no one wants to pay for it.
This is a non-issue. You absolutely cannot tell just by look at a stranger if they're homeless, and to assume you can is to completely misundersatnd homelessness. Whether their hands are dirty, whether they're leaving the spot when they day ends, whether they refuse food... absolutely none of these things tell you whether or not that person is homeless. Rough sleeping is not the only way that homeless people spend their nights. Not everyone who is homeless sleeps on the streets - many sleep in cars, or on the sofas and floors of people they know, sofa hopping with no stability. Some make it to shelters most nights, or are living in temporary accommodation. They are still homeless. Just because someone refuses food, doesn't mean they're not really homeless. People give food to homeless people without asking them if or what they want all the time. Half of the time I speak to homeless people I know they say they don't want me to buy them food because they've been given so much food that day they are absolutely stuffed. What they really need is money to pay for entry to a shelter or hostel that night to escape the cold. When more than 1 in every 20 people nationwide are homeless, I really couldn't give two shits if there are a few people out there faking it. I'm not going to withhold my compassion for people who desperately need help just because there might be some people who don't actually need it. To do so is asking real homeless people who are suffering deeply to bear the burden for the minority who take advantage. It's sickening. Even if it was a big issue - lets say one in every five people who you see on the streets is actually going home to a nice house with a hand full of cash. So fucking what? So you give out £5 to 5 people, and four people are able to buy a warm drink and sit in a cafe to warm up for a bit. One person goes home having swindled a whole £1 out of you. That's a risk I'll gladly take if it means offering help to those who desperately need it.
I understand your feelings but that's a naive point of view. it's equivalent to saying "though over 50% of deaths in London this year revolved around youths who dropped out of school thus followed the gang culture, the government should overlook the issue and not question schools methods of dealing with its pupils and should continue to finance all schools simply because they are genuine teachers/schools who actually do take the necessary steps to ensure all students are well educated and not excluded from schools unnecessarily". This is your reasoning. Your logic is flawed and it's doing more harm than good. for all you care, you could be sponsoring a drug addict/hitman/woman/criminal etc... a goat in a sheep's cloak. as an adult, you really are naive...
I'm not saying don't help those in need. but at the same time it's wise to know where your hard earned money is going. for the record, in Chelmsford I was approached by an Asian looking woman asking for £2, she looked desperate so I tried see through my changes in my bag... as I did, she kept saying "please sir; I'd do anything...sir". that got me thinking...'anything for £2'? that's insane. that was dodgy so I started asking her questions.. she said she needed it for transport, to go elsewhere outside Chelmsford. I asked how she found herself in Chelmsford if she's from xxxxx. she said a friend dropped her off. then I asked about their whereabouts. she said her friend went off to Birmingham. weird. I asked again "why would your friend abandon you here and go off to Birmingham"? then she said.. it was an acquaintance. weird. she was strange and her responses were inconsistent. I said to her.. you're lying and I won't give you £2..she then tried to do what women does to manipulate people but that crap don't work on me... those fake sad face expressions. I suggested contacting police and she said no. haha... I knew from then on she had her own adventure. I told her "I won't give you my money because you're lying to me. I left the scene...she went down an alleyway and vanished in shame. hours later...In a park, I chatted to some guy who said some Asian woman came to him asking if he had a condom. ahah! voila! his description of her matched 100%. unless she had a twin, that was absolutely her without doubt! I was so glad then. I'd rather know where my money is going and not be naive into thinking it's for a good cause. it doesn't take a scientific equation to picture a drug addict/hitman/woman/criminal etc...a goat in a sheep's cloak pretending to be a sheep when their real intentions are to bite and cause harm for their own sake. it's better to be wise than oblivious. clever than stupid. cautions with your steps than walking aimlessly like you're lost in the woods. if say, over 50% are fakes, I'd rather trust my own judgement in who I give my money too. I don't mind giving food away.. but money can sponsor them with the tools they need to carry on their adventures...e.g.. buy cigarette. why that heck would I pay for someone to buy cigarette and harm their lungs and possibly die from doing so?
Homelessness is a falacy. The only people "on the streets" in London during the pandemic are those who were kicked out or refused to go into temporary housing. ALL London Boroughs prioritised money from thier own funds and Central Government , rented hotels and student accomodation to provide single rooms, shower, cooking facilities, free food, free mobile phones, free clothing (all on top of thier Universal Credit) and free housing (with no bills) for EVERY SINGLE HOMELESS PERSON OF ALL AGES. These are all single, lockable rooms with 24 hour supervision, assistance and security staff. There are only about 40% of all homeless who have genuine needs - the rest are playing the system and are full of self entitlement. Charities sprend 70% of thier money on staff and admin and STILL make enough to show profit, pay staff £20.00 per hour and pay all bills. Homelesness is big business.
I know this in only anecdotal, but when I lived in Bristol I saw one homeless guy who was out every day for many years (park street) begging. and one Christmas I overheard him with his mum shopping in a posh expensive clothes shop. His mum was trying to buy him a jumper (was £120+ top) and I heard the “begger” explaining that it looked too posh with designer brand name on show, and he needed one that was plainer, or he wouldn’t get as many people giving him money. I’m not being funny. But this felt pretty off to me. If he’s intentionally “dressing down” to get pity. And his mum is happy to spend that sort of money on a jumper. How hard up could he really be?
As someone that has worked extensively in the field of homelessness and the many issues that surround it, I found this video to be a very simplistic and naive portrayal of street culture. No mention of begging rings, which are mostly the result of people being coerced into begging by organized criminals who also house them, in terrible, overcrowded housing conditions (most cases are the result of human trafficking). Then, of course, there is the fact that many beggars - "housed" (in accommodation, which in many cases can be in hideous conditions, such as many of the hostels or "B&Bs that have contracts with local councils) or otherwise - are drug addicts and/or alcoholics. Instead of having a progressive policy around drugs that sees addiction as a public health issue, society sees it as a criminal one, leading addicts to resort to criminal activity in order to feed their habits, ultimately feeding the vicious cycle of criminality that is associated with the illegal drugs trade. At the bottom, we see people begging (based on the work I did in the charity sector, I'd say that the overwhelming majority of street beggars - in accommodation or rough sleepers) and they are doing so to support a habit. The drug trade represents a very "pure" form of capitalism, so that there is high demand and plenty of supply. Due to the illegal nature of this area of the economy, competition isn't regulated in any way - except for by the gangsters that control the drug trade (and it would be naive to think that this trade didn't include institutions that are supposedly law-abiding or even law-enforcing, such as the banks and other business that launder the money or the bent police/customs and others that are involved in trafficking, allowing it to happen, turning a blind eye and turning a profit) - and, therefore, whether it is people begging on the street or resorting to more serious crimes such as shoplifting, robbery, burglary etc., the trade is marred by some very serious crime, including murder at the higher ends of the street-elements of the drug trade. Here are a few solutions that may go some way to addressing the issue of street begging: 1) ensure that every person has an adequate place to live, 2) decriminalize drugs, allow for the trade to be regulated and allow addicts to obtain the substance they are addicted to legally and safely, in a medical setting so that they are receiving pharmaceutical-grade heroin (for example. This is more difficult when it comes to drugs like crack/crack cocaine and the new big issue in Britain: "spice"), a safe space to use and a properly-funded, professional rehabilitation programme that intends to treat their addiction and hopefully lead them to contribute to society in a positive way. In Norway, there was/is a system in which drug addicts would work in order to obtain their prescription - not sure if its still going but it was a great system as they effectively worked for their drugs, rather than resorting to any kind of crime, and take a look at Norway's crime rate compared to Britain's or America's, as well as levels of homelessness. These two measures are a step towards dealing with the problem of begging, which is not nice to see, whether the beggars are truly homeless or otherwise. This video also ignores that the many (in fact, majority) people that are homeless do everything they can to NOT appear homeless; this what we call "hidden homeless", which includes people that work, study and all sorts of other demographics that challenge the stereotypes around homelessness. The bar spokesman was merely angry about the fact that his business is affected by the presence of begging within the local vicinity but he offered no insight into the root issues (he also makes a living selling one of the most dangerous drugs there is..). All he could say was that some people that beg do in fact have places to live. That is old news for anybody who has worked in the fields of homelessness, addiction, mental health etc. such as myself. There were no professional opinions featured and this is because the issue is so poorly understood. We need to look at the root causes of the problems we encounter on the streets before we can make any kind of assessment (or in the case of current societal trends, judgement). It should matter less to a person to committed to change the accommodation situation of a person sitting down on the street, asking the public for money, than should the reasons as to why a person would do that in the first place. Imagine how desperate you would have to be in order to sit down on the ground, facing all kinds of potential abuse and relying on the pity of others in order to feed whatever affliction you are faced by? Whilst it is true that there is money to be made in begging, it is akin to calling street prostitution a "decent livelihood" because prostitutes are able to make money but, ask yourself this, how many children answer "beggar!" or "hooker!" when asked what they want to be when they grow up? All people should be housed appropriately, all drug addicts should receive adequate help so that they do not have to resort to begging or other, more serious crime in order to feed an addiction; all human trafficking should be tackled and the gang-masters that send people out begging or committing other crimes in order to pay the "debt" that got them into the country and, perhaps above all; society should be educated on these matters and this should perhaps start with the media who, in the case of this video, seem to have done very little research into the matter at hand and have merely fed into reactionary, uninformed opinions based on lazy stereotypes that have no handle on the issue whatsoever. The first person she spoke to happened to be directly involved in dealing one of the most deadly drugs there is: alcohol! And this is also a very legal drug which, due to its very dangerous nature, has left countless men and women left on the streets. Whilst we are huffing and puffing about who is genuinely homeless and who isn't, what shall we do about the countless alcoholics that live on the streets and beg to feed their habit? Go back to American style prohibition and bring in a few more Al Capones to fill the supply for the demand, along with the crooks who peddle the heroin that leads to so many people (in accommodation or otherwise) begging for your change? Time for society to step back and get real.
I live in London, and it is absolutely terrible. Every day I see about 10 beggars down my high street on my way to school. Even today, my mum was approached by a man who fakes his disability, and goes up to cars on the motorway begging.
I once helped a young girl and a man who was genuinely homeless.i don't mind helping anyone who is genuine. No one knows what can happen in life .I once gave money to a guy I thought was homeless but I later found he had a flat to live in, now I am wary who I help.These people should be found out .
I don't live in London, I live on a third word Caribbean island and I have spotted fake homeless and beggars various throughout my life after I have fallen for their tricks and game them my spare change simply because I encounter them on my daily routine from home to collage and then work, there was this one guy sitting on a street near the back entrance of my college blocking the way and in the time it took me to circle around him, I spotted he was better groomed than me, his beard was neatly trimmed, we looked well fed and even though he was barefooted his soles were clean, later that same day around lunch time I saw him getting into a car that was parked crossing the street the whole time he probably made tons by tricking broke students in a hurry to get to class into helping him just by blocking their path, at first I thought it was some sort of hidden camera project or social experiment, but then I saw him near another entrance a couple of days later so I assume he was just a drunk and or gambler whom even though still has a place to go and enough for car gas find it more lucrative to sit for hours begging than to find a job or doing something to earn it.
No in central London there are are lot of real beggars. You can tell by their dirty hands, hair not washed, long hair and smell. I mean if you can be a fake beggar by faking all that then you deserve that £1
Some genuine homeless people do not look homeless because there are homeless daycentres where you can get showers and clean clothes etc. In Liverpool there is the long established Whitechapel Centre for homeless people to go during the day for a few hours to get showers and cheap food etc. There are similar places in most big towns and cities.
@@ninjaninja9954 so u have to smell of piss smell etc etc I was homeless I went to day centres to shower I slept rough I hate that stereotype like u say hands smell etc etc I'm not homeless now but when I was I washed everday
I work with "homeless" people. Some live in hostels and are on ESA and P.I.P totalling in excess of £1000 per 4 weeks and yet still beg on the streets. The money goes on drugs and computer games, gambling and alcohol. In addition, local authorities pay over £1000 monthly Housing Benefit for them. They have no heating or electric costs - no council tax - no rent charges. In fact, some of them have more available income than the workers who are supporting them. Think about this when you are handing out £1 coins to ease your conscience ........
This is what happens when you let that community whos name starts with 'J' run the world. They are the main culprits who have rigged this system to cause these problems.
I was going to the grocery store at almost 8pm and this woman was claiming to have multiple kids while begging for money or food. She literally had more than 8 bags of groceries and 2 pockets full of money and was still begging. That's more than $80 worth of groceries + pocket money. I don't even care if she had financial issues. That's disgusting. Then I see her driving off in her shiny black decent car. Wow. Nice high paying job by the way. Blocking the shopping carts for free food and money. Absolutely ridiculous.
Once read a story a few year ago about a Guy who wasn’t a down and out, he was making £33,000 a year!, that’s just sitting on the Street or where ever.
Easily £200 a night? I think that's just *a bit* of an exaggeration... That's roughly £73,000 a year tax-free from night shifts alone! Nevermind the money they make in the daytime lmao.
@ It is because the amount of money they'd be making by that guy's estimations is more or at least equal to that of economists, doctors and engineers which is just obviously not true. No one is going to be making that kind of money from spare change from begging.
That will be on a very busy Friday or Saturday night, maybe match day or a bank holiday. It's not everyday. A rainy Tuesday will probably have less beggars because there will be less money to be had, regardless of homelessness.
Rocky Do not all all mate. Most beggars hit an average 50-80 pounds a day. More then national mimmin wage. This guys in Liverpool on a bar street. You do the math
I think so, I have seen people with mobile phones begging in Piccadilly in London, seen some very clean people begging elsewhere, they gave the impression of false begging.
Big problem in Newcastle, they're all organised and do shifts in certain spots during the day. Go out at night and there'll be about 1 for every 10 that are there during the day.
West End Mayfair/St James’ is rife with beggars for Romanian gangs. Walk 200 yards after seeing the first one, you’ll see another person with the same handwriting on cardboard, turn another corner, same handwriting in front of another person. It’s crazy.
Not in Uk, in Ireland (Dublin) and I think we have a similar problem here. I was walking with my mates and a homeless guy asked my mate for change, he oblidged and we watched the homeless man walk across the street into the bookies. No way to tell who's fake and who's real if you're not homeless yourself
Having met several homeless people - I can say with some authority that you can sometimes never tell if someone is homeless or not as some are better at disguising it than others. Also, having a flat does not necessarily mean you are not homeless as it may have been provided by the council *because* you are homeless. Get it?
When I was in a hostel, I got kicked out for getting a job because the council cover your rent there until you are working - then it shoots to around triple the rent of a council house (I live in one now so I'm not exaggerating). Plus you are charged faster than you have your first pay-day so you end up trapped until kicked out and back at square one. The idea should be a roof over your head while you apply for work, then start working and save up so you can move out and live independently; but it's often not so simple. I know what the guy means about hostels too, a fight would break out almost every night at stupid hours. It's the next best thing to prison and the streets are arguably safer because you get ego-driven morons who like to beat people up to feel better about themselves. And people who say all the homeless are foreign or on drugs have no idea what they are talking about and have clearly never experienced it. Yes, this is sometimes the case but to assume it's complete fact always is straight up naïve assumption.
Easy way to find out, give them a cup of tea and a sandwich see if they take them. If they say no then just walk away. If they ask for cigarettes or money then it's obvious
but they might have had people offer them 6 cups of tea a sandwich that day..i think offering them a bottle of water, a toothbrush and toothpaste and maybe some toilet paper would be more beneficial
Lads in my town spit/piss on the food and watch the homeless eat it. Thats why the some homeless here never accept food. Best thing is to go with them to buy food.
They have ldramatically risen over the past year. I was stood outside HnM in Liverpool centre and overheard a conversation between two "homeless" people. "Go to the over corner, we will have more money for a takeaway later when we go back, they are making more over there". DISGUSTING. The ones that are struggling are struggling enough. Without my family support I would probably be homeless right now, I'm lucky.
@@pm79080 spot on. Shameful how they're making out 80% of beggers are 'fakes'. As if anyone working and in a stable home would be begging on the street, absolute bollocks. Also, I'm in Liverpool and there isn't 40+ people homeless, I am in the city every few days and often see 4-5 at most begging. Big issue sellers etc are different, there's about 40 of them about the city.
Hostel shelters receive vast amount of food and meals donated to them every day by charity organisations. A genuine homeless person will have sleeping bag wrapped around them, that's one way to differentiate between the scammers and actual homeless person! I've seen this lady, expose the scabs and infections situated on her legs (probably from injecting), she does it to receive more sympathy from the public (to raise money)! Most beggars are addicts I can tell you that! Food won't lead to a person to degrade themselves to such positions (to beg), only narcotics will force a person to sit on the floor and beg on the public streets!
"I don't go home at the end of the day, I've got nowhere to go." *proceeds to explain that there are hostels and night shelters for him to go to but he just doesn't want to* Curious.
Most of the last 20 years I have been street homeless. I'd say approximately 3 out of ten people will finish begging for the day around 5 or 6pm and go to their home. They return early the next day to beg again 7 days per week.
I unfortunately know this is true as I give out food to homeless people, a surprising number of beggars say "no", which basically means they are begging so they can buy drugs
If you want to know who is real, walk around your town or city at 5am in December. You'll see who is legit and who isn't. Then give or donate. Learn people's coats, shoes, sleeping bags... Things that rarely change daily
When i was on the street, i managed to stay clean, washed, and fresh. There are a number of things you can do to make a homeless person just have that little bit of confidence back. SOCKS! .... there is little worse than foot odour. its unavoidable, and its detestable. Foot odor is one of the worst things i suffered with. You think socks are a shite Xmas gift? Not to a homeless person. They might still be dirty and smelly... but fresh socks... it REALLY CAN make all the difference. The other, is baby wipes. Pampers Aloe Vera (Green pack) too be exact. i had incredibly sweat rash in places (gross i know, but its very similar to nappy rash. AV is perfect) .... it also helps to prevent athletes foot, and repairs sore, dry and damaged skin... among other things. You can make a homeless person very happy this Xmas. Fresh socks, and Pampers Aloe Vera baby wipes. set you back about 4 quid :) I kept a small diary on facebook of my time on the street. here it is. facebook.com/homelessaspie/?ref=br_tf&epa=SEARCH_BOX
Samantha Hardy another thing that seems small but can really help, are the Macdonald loyalty cards that give a free hot drink for every 6 you buy. In January it can prove almost life saving Real homeless would be very grateful for those
Here in Manchester (in the uni bit) some of them will come up to you and ask you for some food. As soon as you respond, it goes from wanting food to wanting £20 for a hostel. Happened twice to me in the last week. I actually offered to go and get the guy fruit from Morrisons - he ignored my offer and tried to bring me to a cash machine. I reckon they have a much higher chance of getting the £20 from you after they pretend to need the food and get you in conversation.
That happened to me when visiting Manchester. Outside Sainsbury's on Oxford Road I think. Asked for money for food, I offered to get some, suddenly it was a hostel she needed. But I just thought of potentially great tactic. Offer to call the police and insist they'll help the beggar. If they're happy for you to do it (though sceptical), chances are, they're real. If they make excuses and ignore your reassurances, they're probably fake and don't wanna be arrested for illegal begging or fraud or get caught having drugs on them. Of course if they are real, don't actually leave it to cops to help them, as they're useless.
Begging is a huge business. In East europe we have these "begging" gangs, who recruit people and send them to beg. They may even fight you if you try to beg on their spots, becaue a good spot in a busy city can make 200-300 a day with no problem.
What about running an investigation and if they are proven to be frauds, then fine them and place them in jail for 24-48hrs. (This might make it easy to learn who the real homeless are so they can get their needs met.)
As a day time taxi driver I rarely worked nights but on one occasion I parked outside the office ( next door to a club) I saw a homeless man., said to my colleague who works at the taxi office on the Saturday night to go and get a hot drink and some food.. he replied why he’snot homeless.. I thought my colleague was joking, then my colleague said he makes more then you .. in shock he shouted to the homeless man how much you make last night. He replied £300 🤭My colleague told me he gets taxi off us to go home at the end of the night. This aside we should not let experiences like this make us stop giving.
I see this everyday. Homeless people begging outside on the streets and see them go into a 4 bedroom council house. These people go on holiday 1-3 times a year and even send back money to their family, sometimes as much as £1000 a week. I know this because my family own a business and our neighbouring business have a western union and they told us pretty much all the homeless in my area do the same. This is why I dont give them a single penny! Regardless of whether they are genuine or not!
Is there a Bulgarian scammer problem in London? Recently I've been approached by people saying they're from Bulgaria and life is very hard and they need help for their sister/child/ren. They aren't claiming to be homeless & are decently dressed, clean, and very persistent (they get very close, touch you even, shed a tear or 2)...has anyone else experienced this?
Gypsies from Romania. I’ve seen them on buses heading from Central London to Barking. They live in council homes and collect benefits. They send their wives and daughters to beg at tube stations.
We have alot of fake homeless people, i work in manchester where I'm involved with seeing this... For those out there who feel the need to give change to someone in the street think twice.. I know of around 12 people who sit out in the street begging for money, when there already set up on benefits and have a council house, they claim for all health benefits because they take drugs and alcohol.. I've been saying this for years. Then people get annoyed with authorities for moving a beggar on yet that person hasn't got a clue who the pretend homeless is and what there history is.. Never judge a book by its cover is the saying.... I never give anything to someone sat out on the street, the ones who sit out on the street are the fake ones, the real homeless are actually put into hostles or into some sort of accommodation or council house where there on benefits
I'm not saying don't help those in need. but at the same time it's wise to know where your hard earned money is going. for the record, in Chelmsford I was approached by an Asian looking woman asking for £2, she looked desperate so I tried see through my changes in my bag... as I did, she kept saying "please sir; I'd do anything...sir". that got me thinking...'anything for £2'? that's insane. that was dodgy so I started asking her questions.. she said she needed it for transport, to go elsewhere outside Chelmsford. I asked how she found herself in Chelmsford if she's from xxxxx. she said a friend dropped her off. then I asked about their whereabouts. she said her friend went off to Birmingham. weird. I asked again "why would your friend abandon you here and go off to Birmingham"? then she said.. it was an acquaintance. weird. she was strange and her responses were inconsistent. I said to her.. you're lying and I won't give you £2..she then tried to do what women does to manipulate people but that crap don't work on me... those fake sad face expressions. I suggested contacting police and she said no. haha... I knew from then on she had her own adventure. I told her "I won't give you my money because you're lying to me. I left the scene...she went down an alleyway and vanished in shame. hours later...In a park, I chatted to some guy who said some Asian woman came to him asking if he had a condom. ahah! voila! his description of her matched 100%. unless she had a twin, that was absolutely her without doubt! I was so glad then. I'd rather know where my money is going and not be naive into thinking it's for a good cause. it doesn't take a scientific equation to picture a drug addict/hitman/woman/criminal etc...a goat in a sheep's cloak pretending to be a sheep when their real intentions are to bite and cause harm for their own sake. it's better to be wise than oblivious. clever than stupid. cautions with your steps than walking aimlessly like you're lost in the woods. if say, over 50% are fakes, I'd rather trust my own judgement in who I give my money too. I don't mind giving food away.. but money can sponsor them with the tools they need to carry on their adventures...e.g.. buy cigarette. why that heck would I pay for someone to buy cigarette and harm their lungs and possibly die from doing so?
My sister had bought extra chips for this homeless guy he looked about 21 and when we passed him he didn’t beg and he didn’t sigh he just stared at the ground then my sister turned around and gave him the chips and he took them, said thank you, and he straight away started to eat, that’s when I realised he really was homeless. Just wanted to share that.
Oh Man it's a old Business easy money have seen a entire family who have certain spots to beg and then actually make more money in a month then most of the donors.
The term 'Homeless' needs to be elaborated more within society. Homelessness is relation to no fixed abode, or temporary accommodation provided by the council and other such situations. Rough sleeping is also a type of homelessness. This video should be renamed as the genuine "Rough sleepers" as this accurately portrays the situation investigated in this video
rough sleeper is temporary as in " hours " even and doesn't count as homeless. you might need your own dictionary and new words to accommodate your idea of homelessness
@@PHlophe expand your own knowledge. Homelessness has many faces. Rough sleepers are included in that. So, whatever confusing agenda you have with your comment it is fruitless with me.
The 'beggars' on Oxford st in London are part of a massive scam ring. Saw a man on the floor with crutches pretending to be injured. Then he just got up and walked off
i live in Liverpool. Can confirm it's awful here. I saw this man every time. I went town real early one time (8:00 am) to get to a place. There was maybe 3 I saw. No one else
I live in Vegas and there are so many homeless people on our strip. I was eating at a restaurant and saw a homeless girl get up from the sidewalk, go into a parking garage and drove out in a new Nissan and went home. Couldnt miss the girl she had neon green hair
I'm not clever or gifted enough to have a solution to this and I can't change what's happening on the streets here in the UK. You get hardened to it and cynical after awhile, everyone's got a back story drugs, drink, redundancy and so on. I rarely give anything to beggars, I guess I'll be judged but that's up to others. Watched this and my opinion hasn't changed, just something shoved in my face yet again.
The genuine home less people are so unfairly judged in the because of people who professionally beg and take money/ help away from the people who truly need it.
I live in Newcastle and in the town center whenever we go there, we always have these Indian women coming up to us and they hold up these signs which basically say they've came from another country, they need money for themselves and to feed their children. Us being nice we gave her money, thinking she'd be happy considering her sign said she needed money. But she replied 'no no, I need food' she started pointing to her mouth. Me and my partner were both very confused as she had asked for money for herself & to feed her children and she wasn't happy. We said 'sorry we can't help' and we both walked away, as we had already gave her money which she could of used for food. I will also mention, she claimed she didn't know English but her sign was perfectly written English. Then, a few days later, we had came back into town, suddenly A DIFFERENT Indian woman comes up, holding the same EXACT sign. Claiming she needs money and food for her children and herself. There is literally a flock of these Indian women in Newcastle right now, we've had 5-6 DIFFERENT Indian women all holding the same EXACT sign. They're all taking turns to harass people in the streets for money and they're not homeless at all, they're just working together to see how much they can scam out of people. Whenever they come up to us now, I just say 'leave us alone or I'll call the police' we tried to be nice the first time, but when there's 5-6 different women coming up to you with the same exact sign, you can't help but get annoyed because you know the first time you gave them money, there most of been 4-5 different other women walking around town at that moment cashing in loads of other money. It's frustrating.
When i was 17 I ended up sleeping on the streets for 2 nights until i could get to the council. They told me I didn't look like i had been sleeping on the streets. They did help me but i had to convince them. You can't just judge it by how they look. Ive also worked in a day centre for the homeless that came in for showers, food and clothes if needed aswell as washing machines etc. So not all homeless look rough
In Glasgow there's a handful of older ladies begging constantly every day and they've been doing it for years. Sometimes you see them getting in and out of big fancy cars full of young Asian dudes. So who knows what's going on there. If you're ever in Glasgow keep an eye out and you'll see them. They always wear headscarfs, bundled up in warm clothes and they have olive skin.
Great insight - so there is semi-homeless who just beg for the day and go back home to sleep and the truly homeless who do not have any place to go home to.
In Vancouver it’s hard to tell... Someone was asking me for spare change to buy food but when I offered to help pay for his meal he told me to screw off. Another time someone asked me money for a transit ticket and I bought them one! They threw it away and told me to gfys.
@@richtheunstable3359 what are you talking about?? Are you trying to tell me that a grown able bodied man like that cannot work and get the flat for himself?? I wonder how they became homeless in the first place.
Nancy Ojo Are you really asking a question? Seems like you think you have all the answers. Very easy to have an opinion on the subject but an informed opinion would do you better. There’s a lot of barriers to getting a job for a homeless person: poor mental health, stigma like yours, history of abuse and the list goes on. Some sensibility and compassion would do you good too.
Walked past two 'homeless people' in bethnal green having an argument. The woman was sitting and the man said to her 'this is my spot' and she said 'No I need to sit here because I need it to get a tenner for my electric'. She was sat there in a sleeping bag, dirty clothes, belongings around her. She obviously brought all that with her from her house to make people believe that's all she had.
One summer i went town and saw so many homeless. Anyway homeless people can easily get off the street in The UK. They just have to stop alcohol smoking and drugs.
So you think it's that easy to get off the streets in the UK do you? It's not as simple as you think it is. Not all of those living on the streets drink, smoke and take drugs.
Samantha Hardy plenty of them do. If they don’t receive benefits its because they did and while so didnt look for a job meaning youre benefits are cut.
Phat Bollard Millionaires song springs to mind here. Some people end up homeless due to Universal Credit as well whilst having to wait for 6 weeks or more. Those on zero hours contracts have ended up homeless because employers won't give them enough hours, it's the same for those are on part time contracts and employers won't take them on full time either.
I know of a man who used to regulary give a women he thought was homeless a couple of quid a day when he got off the train into newcastle for work, he said he couldnt beleive his eyes when there was a documentry on tv where a film crew secretly followed an apparent homless person home, that individual happened to be the women he gave 2 quid a day to, he said she had undressed and got into a brand new car, and when they eventually caught up with her she was living in a 5 bedroomed detached house.
Never give a homeless person money. Offer food or shelter/blankets/pillows or whatever. If they are genuine, they will accept and be very happy. If they are not, they'll tell you they need to eat money
@BBC I'm curious, the homeless people you filmed series after series for your other videos, were they fairly paid? Given anything at all? They were still on the streets when you finished your filming having made god knows what off of them. Now your showing 'the other side of the story'? This is going to hurt the very people you said you wanted to help. And who genuinely WANTS to sit on the street for hours in the cold for a couple quid! They are DESPERTAE people who you are now parading about for the sake of another video. What ever gets you views right? This is shameful. It's easier to blame them then to except there is a SERIOUS problem in out society though. This is such insensitive reporting its shameful.
In the media industry, participants of documentaries are not paid, due to the conflict of interest that arises, where the company could be accused of fabricating evidence under paid sources by paying participants to say whatever they want them to say.
Begging has never been about homelessness. It's about having no money. You can be living in a bedsit or even a sizeable house, and still be jobless and penniless.
What you think homeless people can't have dietary preferences/allergies/tastes too? They are human.. Maybe ask people next time before you buy something for them!
@@Dontstaylonely I think if someone is so stuck up with what they eat when they're sleeping in a doorway every night, they've got their priorities wrong.
When I was with the army I lived intent, why the government have a big tent and put heating in it than let people who are homeless life in it, this is not right even for the country, we talk about humanity and we have human life like an animal
Huge problem in London. When I moved out of my flat, I offered to give a homeless guy - who I gave spare change to everyday I passed him outside the tube station - my old pillow (as I had just bought a new one) and his response was ''No mate, I have some in my flat but cheers anyway pal!'' WTF
wow #smh some of them literally have no shame.
Because they refused your drool-soaked pillow they aren't worthy of begging? Uhhh he could be in emergency/temporary accommodations (that are furnished). Just having a roof over his head doesn't mean he doesn't need food or transport. Maybe he has a family to support as well.
@@nepadron but the point is , he actually rents/own a flat , you read one line of the comment and you jumped on your keyboard. you are dim.
Aidan Francis Just because someone has an apartment doesn’t mean they have enough money to live comfortably. I have a friend who has a flat with a couple roommates, but has to play an instrument on the street for change to get enough money to eat.
Massive problem in London and Lewisham don't know if anyone seen it on RUclips there's a bloke and he's sitting there and he's homeless and then this black guy gets out of his nice sports car goes over to him and says I give you some money and buy yourself no clothes and some food and goes and gets his haircut and buy some new clothes as I said before my boyfriend saw that and you turn around said you know that post you put up about the homeless guy on RUclips in Lewisham my boyfriend turned around and said it was a complete fix that bloke was not homeless it was complete scan see you soon around in Lewisham all the time and he's been arrested for it as well a few times... I do apologise if this doesn't make much sense but you'll get the Drift of what I'm saying because I'm dyslexic I speak into a microphone because my spelling it is so bad so I do apologise
I literally tried to give a "homeless" guy a box of cookies recently but he refused saying he's not hungry... if you want to know who's really homeless, offer them food! if they don't take it, they also don't need your money
Ya nu Sanders i gave a homeless man a hash brown and he threw it across the street...
They could be withdrawing from drugs and I'd imagine eating is the last thing on their mind.
this certainly is NOT true. many people are reliant on drink/drugs which suppress their appetites and they often have already eaten what they can for the day. also homeless people are often pretty well stocked in terms of food, as well as get given junk food all the time or are unable to eat certain foods for health reasons such as allergies (yes homeless people do care about those things). money is more important to give to homeless people so that they are able to buy other essentials such as money for shelter, socks, warmer clothes, even the drugs they need, because without they could die. whilst they are on the street, the best thing the public can do for them is give them money, because that is most helpful to their situation.
katy t lol 😂 what a horrible guy
@@greenyblueish6138 would you eat some randoms leftovers who just walked up to you on the street? No? I wouldn't either. From my experience, homeless people are very wary of taking food from strangers because they don't know where it came from or what has been done to it. These people have often been burned by society so don't scorn them for being cautious. If you want to help them, volunteer with a local charity and give them some of your time. You'll see the truth then.
How low can someone sink
May you never find out the hard way !!!
@@judeevans7308 What's that supposed to mean? Pretending to be homeless is one of the scummiest things imaginable.
@@westsideisdabest7825 he is basically saying may you never ever be homeless and find out
@@westsideisdabest7825 south west side is da best.... just sayin'
But why is it that them 'ave to act homeless and that. Is it cuz of the price of trainers.
"If he was homeless he wouldn't cover his face" that's not very fair they might be ashamed
Daniel Pike if you’re genuinely homeless your last concern is having people look at you with shame , 1000’s of people walk past homeless people everyday , chances are if they are Hiding their face all the time they probably are faking it.
The ones that are ashamed dont sit in the high street begging
Some don't want family, friends or former colleagues to know they ended up living on the streets.
@@ethanmarvin1573 there's an example on the comment section about a homeless person who was so ashamed and he didn't want people knowing he was homeless.
This whole documentary is unfair. I'm ashamed for the homeless people who will now be targeted because of this insensitive reporting
I was confronted by a guy while I was sitting at the window of a chicken shop having a chicken meal, he asked me for some change, I asked are you hungry he replied spare some change, I said I'll buy you anything you would like to eat, he said spare some Change, I said no and carried on eating, thought I share that...
Share that you were a complete dick to someone who's worse off than you?
@@Dontstaylonely you moron.
what if the homeless man had a drug addiction, and you just contributed to their habit? think before you drivel.
Drug addiction PLUS homeless PLUS no money for the drugs = suffering. No hate bro just wanted to add this.
He didn't look like an addict he actually looked like a scammer he wasn't dirty and had decent clothes on, and I still offered him food knowing he may be a scammer. I went with my instincts, I'm not exactly in a position to give charity right now and you don't know my own situation right now, I don't want to bring the violins out, but even though I'm going through troubled times I had the heart to offer him what I can't really afford, I didn't have the heart to turn someone away if they want food be it poor or not. just thought I put that out there for those who think I'm being a pri..
S K my words were not about your situation i just meant in general.
I have witnessed fake beggars, saw one getting into his BMW, he got changed first and put his dirty clothes in the boot, he makes between a 1000 and 1500 a week, pretending to be an homeless ex service man in the paras, he has since been arrested.
There's loads of fake beggars in Leeds one guy has 2 Akita dogs and he gets loads of money then goes home to his house, I tried talking to him about it and he starts getting abusive.
These parasites make it harder for real homeless people to get by.
The guy outside itsu? Always wondered as the dogs are so nice..
Set his house on fire while he is out begging 😃
@@imaniman6797 Yes but I usually see him sat outside The Core centre on the Headrow by the money exchange shop, he sits by the banks too, his hands are clean and his dogs are too well looked after for street dogs. Meanwhile the real homeless guy sits outside Tesco Express over the road he never asks for anything.
Tirdfish, I agree what the fake beggars are doing is ridiculous and unfair, but from my perspective the issue isn't so much with them "making it harder for real homeless people to get by" - as people - homeless or not - shouldn't be relying on begging to get by. People shouldn't be giving cash to beggars - homeless or not, they are out there begging - making our high streets unpleasant and sometimes dangerous - because they're being given cash!
I truly empathise with people who are homeless or in dire need due to illness, mental health problems, substance misuse/addiction, abuse or any other issues and life circumstances; and I do strongly believe that as a society we should help these people get the help and rehabilitation they need to stabilise their lives and work.
But there's a difference between facilitating rehabilitation and opportunities to find work and sustain themselves or in some way contribute to society and improve their own lives; and endlessly throwing cash at them, which sadly, a lot of the time funds substance misuse. And even if they genuinely only spend it on necessities, it still doesn't help them long term, as it doesn't help them to actually improve their situation - which would be improved by getting accommodation and work.
We should have more organized efforts to help them turn their lives around - whether government funded through taxes or charity organizations - people should donate to those so that their charitably given money is used productively to actually change lives.
So people should just donate their money to sensible, helpful organisations, and STOP GIVING OUT CASH TO BEGGARS!!!
- That would actually improve the lives of people genuinely in need of help and eliminate the problem of lazy bums fake begging instead of working.
Asif that guy is fake looks real to me
I feel sorry for people who are actually homeless being shadowed over by fake homeless people
Sadly this is true in some places. My own town ive witnessed with my own eyes, "beggars" getting up and getting in cabs or actually bumped into them working. Its an insult to those who are genuine. I don't give money ill donate to local homeless charities and have worked in soup kitchens before. It is on the rise and its wrong to prey on someones generosity when you are faking it
@nasser d i know that. Ive been homeless myself
@nasser d thats ok, no problem
Dude, that's so weird! I witnessed that in Brighton.
Job market in the U.K. is shit at the moment. Until the government comes up with better initiatives to help improve wages and get people into sustainable jobs I don’t see why people wouldn’t chance their arm as a professional beggar. They’ve clearly got good enough acting skills for it.
Do not believe you ever worked in soup kitchens with your take on this..
If there were no real homeless, there wouldn't be fake ones.
Invest more in housing and help them get the real ones off the streets, that is the real problem. In a modern society homelessness simply shouldn't exist.
This makes me sad, really does
TAN You are truly oblivious. Politicians can squabble, blame, desperately defend themselves but will never get to the underlying issue which directly or indirectly influences many of the biggest talking points in British politics. They do this to keep the public ignorant.
Mass immigration is the primary cause of the housing crisis.
It's easier to blame people then to except this society is so broken people sometimes have no choice but to turn to life on the streets. I'm disgusted by this BBC report and they did a whole series following homeless people around now they're turning and pointing the finger at them. I guess what ever gets them views right? Because even after filming the homeless people series after series they were still on the street and until its proven otherwise I doubt they were even fairly paid for being a part of the BBC series. Shameful
So very true.
Speaking Truth lot of support for African family with 10 thousand kids
@UniverseSix Hit That's a very touchy subject, but what I will say is there is definetly a housing crisis and there are more people homeless than there are homes the governments willing to give them. The really sad thing is there are thousands (likely more but I dont know the statistics) of empty, perfectly decent homes people could be placed in, but they remane empty. There are some good documentaries/ reports on this and I can't for the life of me understand why councils/ government/ who ever is in charge of those particular empty houses would rather keep them empty than to alleviate the housing crisis in our country!!!
There was one guy who was pleasant enough, always sat at the same place. Kept giving money because I thought he was an alright guy. Went to a pub far enough from where he usually sat, and there he was with another "homeless guy", new clothes, buying booze, eating dinner, carrying bags with their "homeless attire". Surprisingly, they were never the ones out on the streets come night time, in the cold like some others were. (This was in Canterbury).
Ever since then, I have been reluctant to give people money.
I have met a genuinely homeless guy in London though, guy slept under the bridge around Kings Cross, ended up being turfed out. Approached me early morning (about 2am), broke down crying when I not only gave him money, but asked him about his circumstances. Apparently security kept getting him to move around that day, and I was the first guy to ask him how he felt. He and I had a talk for about 5-10 minutes about him losing his house and being treated poorly by security. Didn't ask me for any more money the whole time whilst we were talking and he told me he had some issues. Guys like that suffer from these fake beggars who don't help with the stigma around homelessness.
There was once a homeless man near my dad when he was younger, I never met the guy but my Dad told me tales. This was out in the countryside rather than a town or city so that was a little unique. The homeless man was more like a hermit in reality and reputedly to live in nearby caves and was able to forage for some of his food and had a particular favourite bench drenched in sunlight during the summer where he would sit and greet any passersby kindly. He didn't really beg but wouldn't refuse if someone wanted to share a picnic and was known in the local villages as a nice guy that locals need not be afraid of and over the years the man was considered part of the community despite not actually living in the dwellings there.
As was inevitable one day the man passed away but the local villages all pulled together to arrange a proper funeral and the local church donated a plot.
Inrezairo Awww that's such a beautiful story, thank you for posting. .......... God rest his soul 💖
There is a young guy who sits outside my local tescos begging. He has ok clothes and his hair looks well kept. Ive given him change, had a few conversations with him about skateboarding (he has a skateboard with him) and bought him pasta which he asked for. I assumed he was homeless or at least unemployed and struggling. Then one day i see him working in a high end patty shop in central london. Our eyes met and he shat himself. Ive seen him once since and he looked panicked. Will be confronting him next time. This is a real problem. Ask people about their situations before you give them money.
Why does him being black have anything to do with this story? A young male would of been fine
@@phodge9985 yeah i dunno. I just wrote it as i remebered it. Its irreleveant, ill edit it.
But do you not think you might be making assumptions about him there again? Retail/food sector pays really really shitty wages, and rent in London is sky high. I doubt his idea of fun is begging outside a Tesco - it might be he still can't afford his rent/to support himself even with that job. You sound like a pretty compassionate person to have given him things in the first place, maybe continue that and ask about his situation before you confront him about it! Plenty folk have jobs with wages that aren't nearly enough to live off :(
@@Dontstaylonely Yeah it was the look of panic that made me feel like i was being duped. I will update if get to speak to him
@@bibtebo I'd probably shit myself too if I was in his position tbh even if I knew I had genuine reasons for begging! I hope you weren't being duped and all goes well!
There's a "homeless" guy near where I live. He sits outside the local Tesco express and begs every day, before getting on his bike and riding down the road to his flat.
steal his bike
@@glitchyjoe64 Give his flat to a homeless.... oh wait.
My mate met a guy begging in Temple Bar Ireland. She asked him why he doesn't get a job and his reply was he made about a grand a week begging.
I lived in Liverpool for three years and the amount of empty housing stock in that city is crazy. I've never understood why there are so many homeless people in a city, when there are literally rows and rows of streets of empty houses. It baffles me
Some of them actually do not want to work, while some actually (genuinely) want to find work and a roof over their heads, it's abit of whack a mole to find genuine homeless people and then to findout the ones who are fraud/fke homeless people.
bvainkidd tbf most of them are in shit areas like Kensington and toxteth. Rather be homeless then be stabbed in those areas
Mourinho The bus driver Kensington is a no go zone unless you have to drive through to get to the city centre.
They look 'fine' from the outside but are in desperate need for renovation. There are streets and streets filled with them and no one wants to pay for it.
Council housing for a society as a provide as housing for a person of need.
They said I could become anything when I grow up
*So I became a professional beggar*
Do you have a Paypal account we can send money to?
You can do that now with the power of the internet and a Patreon account.
*NaAaAnIiI?*
This is a non-issue. You absolutely cannot tell just by look at a stranger if they're homeless, and to assume you can is to completely misundersatnd homelessness. Whether their hands are dirty, whether they're leaving the spot when they day ends, whether they refuse food... absolutely none of these things tell you whether or not that person is homeless. Rough sleeping is not the only way that homeless people spend their nights.
Not everyone who is homeless sleeps on the streets - many sleep in cars, or on the sofas and floors of people they know, sofa hopping with no stability. Some make it to shelters most nights, or are living in temporary accommodation. They are still homeless.
Just because someone refuses food, doesn't mean they're not really homeless. People give food to homeless people without asking them if or what they want all the time. Half of the time I speak to homeless people I know they say they don't want me to buy them food because they've been given so much food that day they are absolutely stuffed. What they really need is money to pay for entry to a shelter or hostel that night to escape the cold.
When more than 1 in every 20 people nationwide are homeless, I really couldn't give two shits if there are a few people out there faking it. I'm not going to withhold my compassion for people who desperately need help just because there might be some people who don't actually need it. To do so is asking real homeless people who are suffering deeply to bear the burden for the minority who take advantage. It's sickening.
Even if it was a big issue - lets say one in every five people who you see on the streets is actually going home to a nice house with a hand full of cash. So fucking what? So you give out £5 to 5 people, and four people are able to buy a warm drink and sit in a cafe to warm up for a bit. One person goes home having swindled a whole £1 out of you. That's a risk I'll gladly take if it means offering help to those who desperately need it.
SamSings wow
Exactly. Nailed it.
And all that does is encourage the deceitfulness..
I understand your feelings but that's a naive point of view. it's equivalent to saying "though over 50% of deaths in London this year revolved around youths who dropped out of school thus followed the gang culture, the government should overlook the issue and not question schools methods of dealing with its pupils and should continue to finance all schools simply because they are genuine teachers/schools who actually do take the necessary steps to ensure all students are well educated and not excluded from schools unnecessarily". This is your reasoning. Your logic is flawed and it's doing more harm than good. for all you care, you could be sponsoring a drug addict/hitman/woman/criminal etc... a goat in a sheep's cloak. as an adult, you really are naive...
I'm not saying don't help those in need. but at the same time it's wise to know where your hard earned money is going. for the record, in Chelmsford I was approached by an Asian looking woman asking for £2, she looked desperate so I tried see through my changes in my bag... as I did, she kept saying "please sir; I'd do anything...sir". that got me thinking...'anything for £2'? that's insane. that was dodgy so I started asking her questions.. she said she needed it for transport, to go elsewhere outside Chelmsford. I asked how she found herself in Chelmsford if she's from xxxxx. she said a friend dropped her off. then I asked about their whereabouts. she said her friend went off to Birmingham. weird. I asked again "why would your friend abandon you here and go off to Birmingham"? then she said.. it was an acquaintance. weird. she was strange and her responses were inconsistent. I said to her.. you're lying and I won't give you £2..she then tried to do what women does to manipulate people but that crap don't work on me... those fake sad face expressions. I suggested contacting police and she said no. haha... I knew from then on she had her own adventure. I told her "I won't give you my money because you're lying to me. I left the scene...she went down an alleyway and vanished in shame. hours later...In a park, I chatted to some guy who said some Asian woman came to him asking if he had a condom. ahah! voila! his description of her matched 100%. unless she had a twin, that was absolutely her without doubt! I was so glad then.
I'd rather know where my money is going and not be naive into thinking it's for a good cause. it doesn't take a scientific equation to picture a drug addict/hitman/woman/criminal etc...a goat in a sheep's cloak pretending to be a sheep when their real intentions are to bite and cause harm for their own sake. it's better to be wise than oblivious. clever than stupid. cautions with your steps than walking aimlessly like you're lost in the woods. if say, over 50% are fakes, I'd rather trust my own judgement in who I give my money too. I don't mind giving food away.. but money can sponsor them with the tools they need to carry on their adventures...e.g.. buy cigarette. why that heck would I pay for someone to buy cigarette and harm their lungs and possibly die from doing so?
Homelessness is a falacy.
The only people "on the streets" in London during the pandemic are those who were kicked out or refused to go into temporary housing. ALL London Boroughs prioritised money from thier own funds and Central Government , rented hotels and student accomodation to provide single rooms, shower, cooking facilities, free food, free mobile phones, free clothing (all on top of thier Universal Credit) and free housing (with no bills) for EVERY SINGLE HOMELESS PERSON OF ALL AGES.
These are all single, lockable rooms with 24 hour supervision, assistance and security staff.
There are only about 40% of all homeless who have genuine needs - the rest are playing the system and are full of self entitlement. Charities sprend 70% of thier money on staff and admin and STILL make enough to show profit, pay staff £20.00 per hour and pay all bills.
Homelesness is big business.
I live in Liverpool and this guy had set up tent city right outside the main Halifax branch in town, always wondered if they where digging a tunnel.
I know this in only anecdotal, but when I lived in Bristol I saw one homeless guy who was out every day for many years (park street) begging. and one Christmas I overheard him with his mum shopping in a posh expensive clothes shop. His mum was trying to buy him a jumper (was £120+ top) and I heard the “begger” explaining that it looked too posh with designer brand name on show, and he needed one that was plainer, or he wouldn’t get as many people giving him money.
I’m not being funny. But this felt pretty off to me. If he’s intentionally “dressing down” to get pity. And his mum is happy to spend that sort of money on a jumper. How hard up could he really be?
As someone that has worked extensively in the field of homelessness and the many issues that surround it, I found this video to be a very simplistic and naive portrayal of street culture. No mention of begging rings, which are mostly the result of people being coerced into begging by organized criminals who also house them, in terrible, overcrowded housing conditions (most cases are the result of human trafficking). Then, of course, there is the fact that many beggars - "housed" (in accommodation, which in many cases can be in hideous conditions, such as many of the hostels or "B&Bs that have contracts with local councils) or otherwise - are drug addicts and/or alcoholics. Instead of having a progressive policy around drugs that sees addiction as a public health issue, society sees it as a criminal one, leading addicts to resort to criminal activity in order to feed their habits, ultimately feeding the vicious cycle of criminality that is associated with the illegal drugs trade.
At the bottom, we see people begging (based on the work I did in the charity sector, I'd say that the overwhelming majority of street beggars - in accommodation or rough sleepers) and they are doing so to support a habit. The drug trade represents a very "pure" form of capitalism, so that there is high demand and plenty of supply. Due to the illegal nature of this area of the economy, competition isn't regulated in any way - except for by the gangsters that control the drug trade (and it would be naive to think that this trade didn't include institutions that are supposedly law-abiding or even law-enforcing, such as the banks and other business that launder the money or the bent police/customs and others that are involved in trafficking, allowing it to happen, turning a blind eye and turning a profit) - and, therefore, whether it is people begging on the street or resorting to more serious crimes such as shoplifting, robbery, burglary etc., the trade is marred by some very serious crime, including murder at the higher ends of the street-elements of the drug trade.
Here are a few solutions that may go some way to addressing the issue of street begging: 1) ensure that every person has an adequate place to live, 2) decriminalize drugs, allow for the trade to be regulated and allow addicts to obtain the substance they are addicted to legally and safely, in a medical setting so that they are receiving pharmaceutical-grade heroin (for example. This is more difficult when it comes to drugs like crack/crack cocaine and the new big issue in Britain: "spice"), a safe space to use and a properly-funded, professional rehabilitation programme that intends to treat their addiction and hopefully lead them to contribute to society in a positive way. In Norway, there was/is a system in which drug addicts would work in order to obtain their prescription - not sure if its still going but it was a great system as they effectively worked for their drugs, rather than resorting to any kind of crime, and take a look at Norway's crime rate compared to Britain's or America's, as well as levels of homelessness.
These two measures are a step towards dealing with the problem of begging, which is not nice to see, whether the beggars are truly homeless or otherwise. This video also ignores that the many (in fact, majority) people that are homeless do everything they can to NOT appear homeless; this what we call "hidden homeless", which includes people that work, study and all sorts of other demographics that challenge the stereotypes around homelessness. The bar spokesman was merely angry about the fact that his business is affected by the presence of begging within the local vicinity but he offered no insight into the root issues (he also makes a living selling one of the most dangerous drugs there is..). All he could say was that some people that beg do in fact have places to live. That is old news for anybody who has worked in the fields of homelessness, addiction, mental health etc. such as myself. There were no professional opinions featured and this is because the issue is so poorly understood.
We need to look at the root causes of the problems we encounter on the streets before we can make any kind of assessment (or in the case of current societal trends, judgement). It should matter less to a person to committed to change the accommodation situation of a person sitting down on the street, asking the public for money, than should the reasons as to why a person would do that in the first place. Imagine how desperate you would have to be in order to sit down on the ground, facing all kinds of potential abuse and relying on the pity of others in order to feed whatever affliction you are faced by? Whilst it is true that there is money to be made in begging, it is akin to calling street prostitution a "decent livelihood" because prostitutes are able to make money but, ask yourself this, how many children answer "beggar!" or "hooker!" when asked what they want to be when they grow up?
All people should be housed appropriately, all drug addicts should receive adequate help so that they do not have to resort to begging or other, more serious crime in order to feed an addiction; all human trafficking should be tackled and the gang-masters that send people out begging or committing other crimes in order to pay the "debt" that got them into the country and, perhaps above all; society should be educated on these matters and this should perhaps start with the media who, in the case of this video, seem to have done very little research into the matter at hand and have merely fed into reactionary, uninformed opinions based on lazy stereotypes that have no handle on the issue whatsoever. The first person she spoke to happened to be directly involved in dealing one of the most deadly drugs there is: alcohol! And this is also a very legal drug which, due to its very dangerous nature, has left countless men and women left on the streets. Whilst we are huffing and puffing about who is genuinely homeless and who isn't, what shall we do about the countless alcoholics that live on the streets and beg to feed their habit? Go back to American style prohibition and bring in a few more Al Capones to fill the supply for the demand, along with the crooks who peddle the heroin that leads to so many people (in accommodation or otherwise) begging for your change? Time for society to step back and get real.
You are so fake and edgy.
I live in London, and it is absolutely terrible. Every day I see about 10 beggars down my high street on my way to school. Even today, my mum was approached by a man who fakes his disability, and goes up to cars on the motorway begging.
I once helped a young girl and a man who was genuinely homeless.i don't mind helping anyone who is genuine. No one knows what can happen in life .I once gave money to a guy I thought was homeless but I later found he had a flat to live in, now I am wary who I help.These people should be found out .
I don't live in London, I live on a third word Caribbean island and I have spotted fake homeless and beggars various throughout my life after I have fallen for their tricks and game them my spare change simply because I encounter them on my daily routine from home to collage and then work, there was this one guy sitting on a street near the back entrance of my college blocking the way and in the time it took me to circle around him, I spotted he was better groomed than me, his beard was neatly trimmed, we looked well fed and even though he was barefooted his soles were clean, later that same day around lunch time I saw him getting into a car that was parked crossing the street the whole time he probably made tons by tricking broke students in a hurry to get to class into helping him just by blocking their path, at first I thought it was some sort of hidden camera project or social experiment, but then I saw him near another entrance a couple of days later so I assume he was just a drunk and or gambler whom even though still has a place to go and enough for car gas find it more lucrative to sit for hours begging than to find a job or doing something to earn it.
Go london they are everywhere.
No in central London there are are lot of real beggars. You can tell by their dirty hands, hair not washed, long hair and smell. I mean if you can be a fake beggar by faking all that then you deserve that £1
Some genuine homeless people do not look homeless because there are homeless daycentres where you can get showers and clean clothes etc. In Liverpool there is the long established Whitechapel Centre for homeless people to go during the day for a few hours to get showers and cheap food etc. There are similar places in most big towns and cities.
Plot twist the club owner ends up homeless bar goes bankrupt
@@ninjaninja9954 so u have to smell of piss smell etc etc I was homeless I went to day centres to shower I slept rough I hate that stereotype like u say hands smell etc etc I'm not homeless now but when I was I washed everday
I work with "homeless" people. Some live in hostels and are on ESA and P.I.P totalling in excess of £1000 per 4 weeks and yet still beg on the streets. The money goes on drugs and computer games, gambling and alcohol. In addition, local authorities pay over £1000 monthly Housing Benefit for them. They have no heating or electric costs - no council tax - no rent charges. In fact, some of them have more available income than the workers who are supporting them. Think about this when you are handing out £1 coins to ease your conscience ........
And why is the BBC not mentioning the Romanians? These people are EVERYWHERE ,
and none of them are genuine homeless
Met all of them have you?
Because the BBC has a liberal bias and stereotyping and generalising romanians is racist.
I've given out food, soft drink, handwarmers, and my time, and I have volunteered at foodbanks. But I don't give out money. Ever.
It's a shameful indictment of our failure as a civilisation that we have rough sleepers. A home should be a human right that you cannot lose.
Only entitled and the privileged think like this
This is what happens when you let that community whos name starts with 'J' run the world. They are the main culprits who have rigged this system to cause these problems.
And people still think that Britain is not broken.
I was going to the grocery store at almost 8pm and this woman was claiming to have multiple kids while begging for money or food. She literally had more than 8 bags of groceries and 2 pockets full of money and was still begging. That's more than $80 worth of groceries + pocket money. I don't even care if she had financial issues. That's disgusting. Then I see her driving off in her shiny black decent car. Wow. Nice high paying job by the way. Blocking the shopping carts for free food and money. Absolutely ridiculous.
Once read a story a few year ago about a Guy who wasn’t a down and out, he was making £33,000 a year!, that’s just sitting on the Street or where ever.
Easily £200 a night? I think that's just *a bit* of an exaggeration... That's roughly £73,000 a year tax-free from night shifts alone! Nevermind the money they make in the daytime lmao.
@ It is because the amount of money they'd be making by that guy's estimations is more or at least equal to that of economists, doctors and engineers which is just obviously not true. No one is going to be making that kind of money from spare change from begging.
That will be on a very busy Friday or Saturday night, maybe match day or a bank holiday. It's not everyday. A rainy Tuesday will probably have less beggars because there will be less money to be had, regardless of homelessness.
Yeah that's one hefty amount. The numbers I've heard for the beggers in my country's capital is £6 on a good day
Sometimes well over 300. I worked with the homeless in belfast and many were better off than the people giving them money
Rocky Do not all all mate. Most beggars hit an average 50-80 pounds a day. More then national mimmin wage. This guys in Liverpool on a bar street. You do the math
I think so, I have seen people with mobile phones begging in Piccadilly in London, seen some very clean people begging elsewhere, they gave the impression of false begging.
Big problem in Newcastle, they're all organised and do shifts in certain spots during the day. Go out at night and there'll be about 1 for every 10 that are there during the day.
I've done it in Newcastle haha Clayton Street, sat down the very first time I done it and made £150 after 3 hours lol
can vouch for this the amount of 'homeless' has increased ten fold and they all want money not food! scam artists
West End Mayfair/St James’ is rife with beggars for Romanian gangs. Walk 200 yards after seeing the first one, you’ll see another person with the same handwriting on cardboard, turn another corner, same handwriting in front of another person. It’s crazy.
Not in Uk, in Ireland (Dublin) and I think we have a similar problem here. I was walking with my mates and a homeless guy asked my mate for change, he oblidged and we watched the homeless man walk across the street into the bookies. No way to tell who's fake and who's real if you're not homeless yourself
Happens here in San Diego every day for years . Standing in the middle of intersections with a sign
Gypsies from Romania
Having met several homeless people - I can say with some authority that you can sometimes never tell if someone is homeless or not as some are better at disguising it than others.
Also, having a flat does not necessarily mean you are not homeless as it may have been provided by the council *because* you are homeless. Get it?
But then you wouldn't really be homeless if you've been given a flat by the council, get it?
So you don't get it.
@@nomad9338 look up statutory homeless and street homeless
@@TheSuperQuail You could have just explained briefly instead of being a potato
When I was in a hostel, I got kicked out for getting a job because the council cover your rent there until you are working - then it shoots to around triple the rent of a council house (I live in one now so I'm not exaggerating). Plus you are charged faster than you have your first pay-day so you end up trapped until kicked out and back at square one. The idea should be a roof over your head while you apply for work, then start working and save up so you can move out and live independently; but it's often not so simple. I know what the guy means about hostels too, a fight would break out almost every night at stupid hours. It's the next best thing to prison and the streets are arguably safer because you get ego-driven morons who like to beat people up to feel better about themselves. And people who say all the homeless are foreign or on drugs have no idea what they are talking about and have clearly never experienced it. Yes, this is sometimes the case but to assume it's complete fact always is straight up naïve assumption.
Easy way to find out, give them a cup of tea and a sandwich see if they take them. If they say no then just walk away. If they ask for cigarettes or money then it's obvious
but they might have had people offer them 6 cups of tea a sandwich that day..i think offering them a bottle of water, a toothbrush and toothpaste and maybe some toilet paper would be more beneficial
weren't you the fake homeless that accuses people of getting things simply because they have darker skin ?
Lads in my town spit/piss on the food and watch the homeless eat it. Thats why the some homeless here never accept food. Best thing is to go with them to buy food.
Matthew Read you're right a real genuine homesless person (who isnnot a drug addict) will accept food over cigarettes any day.
Homeless people need money for healthcare, etc. It ain’t that simple bro
They have ldramatically risen over the past year.
I was stood outside HnM in Liverpool centre and overheard a conversation between two "homeless" people.
"Go to the over corner, we will have more money for a takeaway later when we go back, they are making more over there".
DISGUSTING. The ones that are struggling are struggling enough.
Without my family support I would probably be homeless right now, I'm lucky.
Rough sleeping is a subset of homeless.
The government lies by narrowing the definition.
@@pm79080 spot on. Shameful how they're making out 80% of beggers are 'fakes'. As if anyone working and in a stable home would be begging on the street, absolute bollocks.
Also, I'm in Liverpool and there isn't 40+ people homeless, I am in the city every few days and often see 4-5 at most begging.
Big issue sellers etc are different, there's about 40 of them about the city.
Hostel shelters receive vast amount of food and meals donated to them every day by charity organisations.
A genuine homeless person will have sleeping bag wrapped around them, that's one way to differentiate between the scammers and actual homeless person!
I've seen this lady, expose the scabs and infections situated on her legs (probably from injecting), she does it to receive more sympathy from the public (to raise money)!
Most beggars are addicts I can tell you that! Food won't lead to a person to degrade themselves to such positions (to beg), only narcotics will force a person to sit on the floor and beg on the public streets!
"I don't go home at the end of the day, I've got nowhere to go."
*proceeds to explain that there are hostels and night shelters for him to go to but he just doesn't want to*
Curious.
oh yeh, hes a real mary antoinette isnt he@!
Most of the last 20 years I have been street homeless. I'd say approximately 3 out of ten people will finish begging for the day around 5 or 6pm and go to their home. They return early the next day to beg again 7 days per week.
There's a ''homeless'' guy near my local tesco everyday, yet he gets picked up with a BMW every evening... lol
Are you from East London?
I unfortunately know this is true as I give out food to homeless people, a surprising number of beggars say "no", which basically means they are begging so they can buy drugs
If you want to know who is real, walk around your town or city at 5am in December. You'll see who is legit and who isn't. Then give or donate. Learn people's coats, shoes, sleeping bags... Things that rarely change daily
True. Especially when it's snowing or has been snowing.
When i was on the street, i managed to stay clean, washed, and fresh. There are a number of things you can do to make a homeless person just have that little bit of confidence back. SOCKS! .... there is little worse than foot odour. its unavoidable, and its detestable.
Foot odor is one of the worst things i suffered with. You think socks are a shite Xmas gift? Not to a homeless person. They might still be dirty and smelly... but fresh socks... it REALLY CAN make all the difference. The other, is baby wipes. Pampers Aloe Vera (Green pack) too be exact. i had incredibly sweat rash in places (gross i know, but its very similar to nappy rash. AV is perfect) .... it also helps to prevent athletes foot, and repairs sore, dry and damaged skin... among other things.
You can make a homeless person very happy this Xmas. Fresh socks, and Pampers Aloe Vera baby wipes. set you back about 4 quid :)
I kept a small diary on facebook of my time on the street. here it is.
facebook.com/homelessaspie/?ref=br_tf&epa=SEARCH_BOX
Samantha Hardy another thing that seems small but can really help, are the Macdonald loyalty cards that give a free hot drink for every 6 you buy. In January it can prove almost life saving
Real homeless would be very grateful for those
I've seen a group of beggars gather on a corner and get picked up by a people carrier. Makes you wonder if they're organised syndicates.
I feel sorry for the 'real homeless'...!!! 😢
Anton what's up I'm a fan!
Your channel is the best.
No NFA sofa surfing tbh are good labels for housing options to give but if everyone realised 500 a day begging
... I've never made that a day working
Here in Manchester (in the uni bit) some of them will come up to you and ask you for some food. As soon as you respond, it goes from wanting food to wanting £20 for a hostel. Happened twice to me in the last week. I actually offered to go and get the guy fruit from Morrisons - he ignored my offer and tried to bring me to a cash machine. I reckon they have a much higher chance of getting the £20 from you after they pretend to need the food and get you in conversation.
That happened to me when visiting Manchester. Outside Sainsbury's on Oxford Road I think. Asked for money for food, I offered to get some, suddenly it was a hostel she needed. But I just thought of potentially great tactic. Offer to call the police and insist they'll help the beggar. If they're happy for you to do it (though sceptical), chances are, they're real. If they make excuses and ignore your reassurances, they're probably fake and don't wanna be arrested for illegal begging or fraud or get caught having drugs on them. Of course if they are real, don't actually leave it to cops to help them, as they're useless.
This guy hit nail on head tossers that wont stay in hostel most homeless people did it to them selves so much help out there
Begging is a thriving industry in India by the way. They live well.
Begging is a huge business. In East europe we have these "begging" gangs, who recruit people and send them to beg. They may even fight you if you try to beg on their spots, becaue a good spot in a busy city can make 200-300 a day with no problem.
I tried to give a "homeless" man some sandwiches. He said "No, I'm not hungry, but do you have £2? Oh actually do you have £8?"
The cheek
im not gAYYY
FYI professional homeless/begging was able to afford luxurious car and house . meanwhile this issues will only hurt those genuinely need assistance.
What about running an investigation and if they are proven to be frauds, then fine them and place them in jail for 24-48hrs.
(This might make it easy to learn who the real homeless are so they can get their needs met.)
And how many people would admit to that?
It pisses him off because they are taking the money he wants to beg for.
As a day time taxi driver I rarely worked nights but on one occasion I parked outside the office ( next door to a club) I saw a homeless man., said to my colleague who works at the taxi office on the Saturday night to go and get a hot drink and some food.. he replied why he’snot homeless.. I thought my colleague was joking, then my colleague said he makes more then you .. in shock he shouted to the homeless man how much you make last night. He replied £300 🤭My colleague told me he gets taxi off us to go home at the end of the night. This aside we should not let experiences like this make us stop giving.
rizwan iqbal Hard faced greedy get! Playing on people's helpful kind nature, I hate that. I hope someone puts laxatives in his next 🍵
I see this everyday. Homeless people begging outside on the streets and see them go into a 4 bedroom council house. These people go on holiday 1-3 times a year and even send back money to their family, sometimes as much as £1000 a week. I know this because my family own a business and our neighbouring business have a western union and they told us pretty much all the homeless in my area do the same. This is why I dont give them a single penny! Regardless of whether they are genuine or not!
Roma Gypsies
Is there a Bulgarian scammer problem in London? Recently I've been approached by people saying they're from Bulgaria and life is very hard and they need help for their sister/child/ren. They aren't claiming to be homeless & are decently dressed, clean, and very persistent (they get very close, touch you even, shed a tear or 2)...has anyone else experienced this?
All the Eastern Europeans are like this
Gypsies from Romania. I’ve seen them on buses heading from Central London to Barking. They live in council homes and collect benefits. They send their wives and daughters to beg at tube stations.
We have alot of fake homeless people, i work in manchester where I'm involved with seeing this...
For those out there who feel the need to give change to someone in the street think twice..
I know of around 12 people who sit out in the street begging for money, when there already set up on benefits and have a council house, they claim for all health benefits because they take drugs and alcohol..
I've been saying this for years. Then people get annoyed with authorities for moving a beggar on yet that person hasn't got a clue who the pretend homeless is and what there history is..
Never judge a book by its cover is the saying.... I never give anything to someone sat out on the street, the ones who sit out on the street are the fake ones, the real homeless are actually put into hostles or into some sort of accommodation or council house where there on benefits
That is so horrible....
I'm not saying don't help those in need. but at the same time it's wise to know where your hard earned money is going. for the record, in Chelmsford I was approached by an Asian looking woman asking for £2, she looked desperate so I tried see through my changes in my bag... as I did, she kept saying "please sir; I'd do anything...sir". that got me thinking...'anything for £2'? that's insane. that was dodgy so I started asking her questions.. she said she needed it for transport, to go elsewhere outside Chelmsford. I asked how she found herself in Chelmsford if she's from xxxxx. she said a friend dropped her off. then I asked about their whereabouts. she said her friend went off to Birmingham. weird. I asked again "why would your friend abandon you here and go off to Birmingham"? then she said.. it was an acquaintance. weird. she was strange and her responses were inconsistent. I said to her.. you're lying and I won't give you £2..she then tried to do what women does to manipulate people but that crap don't work on me... those fake sad face expressions. I suggested contacting police and she said no. haha... I knew from then on she had her own adventure. I told her "I won't give you my money because you're lying to me. I left the scene...she went down an alleyway and vanished in shame. hours later...In a park, I chatted to some guy who said some Asian woman came to him asking if he had a condom. ahah! voila! his description of her matched 100%. unless she had a twin, that was absolutely her without doubt! I was so glad then.
I'd rather know where my money is going and not be naive into thinking it's for a good cause. it doesn't take a scientific equation to picture a drug addict/hitman/woman/criminal etc...a goat in a sheep's cloak pretending to be a sheep when their real intentions are to bite and cause harm for their own sake. it's better to be wise than oblivious. clever than stupid. cautions with your steps than walking aimlessly like you're lost in the woods. if say, over 50% are fakes, I'd rather trust my own judgement in who I give my money too. I don't mind giving food away.. but money can sponsor them with the tools they need to carry on their adventures...e.g.. buy cigarette. why that heck would I pay for someone to buy cigarette and harm their lungs and possibly die from doing so?
My sister had bought extra chips for this homeless guy he looked about 21 and when we passed him he didn’t beg and he didn’t sigh he just stared at the ground then my sister turned around and gave him the chips and he took them, said thank you, and he straight away started to eat, that’s when I realised he really was homeless.
Just wanted to share that.
My rule is to always offer buying them food. And most of them from my experience say no.
this is news to me . I didn't know there was professional beggars
Oh Man it's a old Business easy money have seen a entire family who have certain spots to beg and then actually make more money in a month then most of the donors.
Neither did I
Yeah! All of Europe. They are called Gypsies, BBC is just too scared to say it
A man in Cornwall was caught driving home in a new Audi TT after spending the day begging. Its fraud and people should be dealt with accordingly
The term 'Homeless' needs to be elaborated more within society. Homelessness is relation to no fixed abode, or temporary accommodation provided by the council and other such situations. Rough sleeping is also a type of homelessness. This video should be renamed as the genuine "Rough sleepers" as this accurately portrays the situation investigated in this video
rough sleeper is temporary as in " hours " even and doesn't count as homeless. you might need your own dictionary and new words to accommodate your idea of homelessness
@@PHlophe There is no dictionary assistance needed.
@@Luvliv89 sweety, use the one you haven't created. You'll be fine
@@PHlophe expand your own knowledge. Homelessness has many faces. Rough sleepers are included in that. So, whatever confusing agenda you have with your comment it is fruitless with me.
The 'beggars' on Oxford st in London are part of a massive scam ring. Saw a man on the floor with crutches pretending to be injured. Then he just got up and walked off
I always feel sorry for the animals bless them
@@annak1712 yes I am why and English
@@annak1712 not everybody is the same that's very unfair to say that but actually I do prefer animals to people they aren't rude for a start
@@sheenagray2324 I apologise, it's a stereotype but i shouldn't reinforce the belief
@@annak1712 thank you that's ok I'm fine nice of you to apologise
@Ben Farrar yes I carnt stand to see it i find it very upsetting I always put my dog first
i live in Liverpool. Can confirm it's awful here. I saw this man every time. I went town real early one time (8:00 am) to get to a place. There was maybe 3 I saw. No one else
Generally speaking British people are very charitable and giving, but it’s sad that some people take advantage of this
I live in Vegas and there are so many homeless people on our strip. I was eating at a restaurant and saw a homeless girl get up from the sidewalk, go into a parking garage and drove out in a new Nissan and went home. Couldnt miss the girl she had neon green hair
I'm not clever or gifted enough to have a solution to this and I can't change what's happening on the streets here in the UK. You get hardened to it and cynical after awhile, everyone's got a back story drugs, drink, redundancy and so on. I rarely give anything to beggars, I guess I'll be judged but that's up to others. Watched this and my opinion hasn't changed, just something shoved in my face yet again.
Go oxford street London. So many fakes. I literally saw a woman begging with her baby. These people know no shame!
The genuine home less people are so unfairly judged in the because of people who professionally beg and take money/ help away from the people who truly need it.
In my town, most homeless are fake. Around 1AM, all the beggars' families and come pick them up. Mind you, they are driving relatively new cars.
Everywhere in London. Lewisham station you have "beggars" with fresh haircuts and brand new trainers sitting on the floor asking for money.
There’s a guy who sits outside of the McDonald’s in my town begs for a day goes on his iPhone then gets in his car and drives off.
It's such a shame I always help genuine people out, god bless them all
I live in Newcastle and in the town center whenever we go there, we always have these Indian women coming up to us and they hold up these signs which basically say they've came from another country, they need money for themselves and to feed their children. Us being nice we gave her money, thinking she'd be happy considering her sign said she needed money. But she replied 'no no, I need food' she started pointing to her mouth. Me and my partner were both very confused as she had asked for money for herself & to feed her children and she wasn't happy. We said 'sorry we can't help' and we both walked away, as we had already gave her money which she could of used for food. I will also mention, she claimed she didn't know English but her sign was perfectly written English. Then, a few days later, we had came back into town, suddenly A DIFFERENT Indian woman comes up, holding the same EXACT sign. Claiming she needs money and food for her children and herself. There is literally a flock of these Indian women in Newcastle right now, we've had 5-6 DIFFERENT Indian women all holding the same EXACT sign. They're all taking turns to harass people in the streets for money and they're not homeless at all, they're just working together to see how much they can scam out of people. Whenever they come up to us now, I just say 'leave us alone or I'll call the police' we tried to be nice the first time, but when there's 5-6 different women coming up to you with the same exact sign, you can't help but get annoyed because you know the first time you gave them money, there most of been 4-5 different other women walking around town at that moment cashing in loads of other money. It's frustrating.
When i was 17 I ended up sleeping on the streets for 2 nights until i could get to the council. They told me I didn't look like i had been sleeping on the streets. They did help me but i had to convince them. You can't just judge it by how they look. Ive also worked in a day centre for the homeless that came in for showers, food and clothes if needed aswell as washing machines etc. So not all homeless look rough
Indeed
Can you prove you are a real person and not a bot or troll account?
In Glasgow there's a handful of older ladies begging constantly every day and they've been doing it for years. Sometimes you see them getting in and out of big fancy cars full of young Asian dudes. So who knows what's going on there. If you're ever in Glasgow keep an eye out and you'll see them. They always wear headscarfs, bundled up in warm clothes and they have olive skin.
Great insight - so there is semi-homeless who just beg for the day and go back home to sleep and the truly homeless who do not have any place to go home to.
In Vancouver it’s hard to tell...
Someone was asking me for spare change to buy food but when I offered to help pay for his meal he told me to screw off.
Another time someone asked me money for a transit ticket and I bought them one! They threw it away and told me to gfys.
I have a question why are there people that are homeless in this country when they can have all the help that they need. ???
Nancy Ojo because there isn't much help.
@@richtheunstable3359 what are you talking about?? Are you trying to tell me that a grown able bodied man like that cannot work and get the flat for himself?? I wonder how they became homeless in the first place.
you think living like that he would be able to get or maintain a job.
Nancy Ojo Are you really asking a question? Seems like you think you have all the answers. Very easy to have an opinion on the subject but an informed opinion would do you better. There’s a lot of barriers to getting a job for a homeless person: poor mental health, stigma like yours, history of abuse and the list goes on. Some sensibility and compassion would do you good too.
Nancy Ojo lol another misguided Nigerian by the media portraying abroad as paradise. Life is tough here!!! Higher costs of living!
Walked past two 'homeless people' in bethnal green having an argument. The woman was sitting and the man said to her 'this is my spot' and she said 'No I need to sit here because I need it to get a tenner for my electric'. She was sat there in a sleeping bag, dirty clothes, belongings around her. She obviously brought all that with her from her house to make people believe that's all she had.
One summer i went town and saw so many homeless. Anyway homeless people can easily get off the street in The UK. They just have to stop alcohol smoking and drugs.
So you think it's that easy to get off the streets in the UK do you? It's not as simple as you think it is. Not all of those living on the streets drink, smoke and take drugs.
Samantha Hardy plenty of them do. If they don’t receive benefits its because they did and while so didnt look for a job meaning youre benefits are cut.
Jacob R the reason they don’t have their family with then most the time its because if drugs or alcohol.
"People can easily get off the street! They just have to quit these 3 incredibly addictive substances!"
Listen to the crap you are spouting.
Phat Bollard Millionaires song springs to mind here. Some people end up homeless due to Universal Credit as well whilst having to wait for 6 weeks or more. Those on zero hours contracts have ended up homeless because employers won't give them enough hours, it's the same for those are on part time contracts and employers won't take them on full time either.
I know of a man who used to regulary give a women he thought was homeless a couple of quid a day when he got off the train into newcastle for work, he said he couldnt beleive his eyes when there was a documentry on tv where a film crew secretly followed an apparent homless person home, that individual happened to be the women he gave 2 quid a day to, he said she had undressed and got into a brand new car, and when they eventually caught up with her she was living in a 5 bedroomed detached house.
That's terrible
Being homeless is a profession I want to pursue
Never give a homeless person money. Offer food or shelter/blankets/pillows or whatever. If they are genuine, they will accept and be very happy. If they are not, they'll tell you they need to eat money
@BBC I'm curious, the homeless people you filmed series after series for your other videos, were they fairly paid? Given anything at all? They were still on the streets when you finished your filming having made god knows what off of them. Now your showing 'the other side of the story'? This is going to hurt the very people you said you wanted to help. And who genuinely WANTS to sit on the street for hours in the cold for a couple quid! They are DESPERTAE people who you are now parading about for the sake of another video. What ever gets you views right? This is shameful. It's easier to blame them then to except there is a SERIOUS problem in out society though. This is such insensitive reporting its shameful.
In the media industry, participants of documentaries are not paid, due to the conflict of interest that arises, where the company could be accused of fabricating evidence under paid sources by paying participants to say whatever they want them to say.
Begging has never been about homelessness. It's about having no money. You can be living in a bedsit or even a sizeable house, and still be jobless and penniless.
I’m black so it won’t work for me
You mean so you wont work?
I reckon that is probably nonsense.
I had someone who said 'help the homeless' and when I observed they were on a handsfree under their hat.
i bought a homeless guy a bagel with butter and a coffee and he said no thanks hes vegan!
And he proberly was hence why he would refuse the coffee if it had calf's milk in it the same with the muffin.
What you think homeless people can't have dietary preferences/allergies/tastes too? They are human.. Maybe ask people next time before you buy something for them!
I can't tell if these replies are sarcastic or not
No wonder he’s homeless, you have to have a small mortgage to afford most vegan shite these days
@@Dontstaylonely I think if someone is so stuck up with what they eat when they're sleeping in a doorway every night, they've got their priorities wrong.
When I was with the army I lived intent, why the government have a big tent and put heating in it than let people who are homeless life in it, this is not right even for the country, we talk about humanity and we have human life like an animal