Contactless begging

[Chip Butty]

Coming out of the match on Sunday, there's a guy begging on Walton Breck Rd, not the usual and now semi-famous "spare any change for some petrol for me Ferrari" fella, this guys just sat there, looks well like he's on the bones of his arse and I want to drop a couple of quid, though I've got no money, just me debit card, so I say to him - I've got no change mate its all contactless now fellla, to which he replies - I know mate, we're all suffering. 

 

So its got me thinking, is it too much of a thing, to have contactless begging? 

 

This may sound a daft question to put out there, but what are the pitfalls of something like this?  Granted there should be no begging but this is where we are 2021, so why can't we modernise begging? 

[Dr Nowt]

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

6 minutes ago, Chip Butty said:

So its got me thinking, is it too much of a thing, to have contactless begging?

YES.

[Chip Butty]

Just now, Ezekiel 25:17 said:

YES.

Why? 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

1 minute ago, Chip Butty said:

Why? 

Trust an actual homeless with my bank details, next time I see them they're pushing a trolley of skol out of the Kwikky, no thanks.

[Davelfc]

Anything like a contactless method is traceable, plus it’s also subject to abuse. 
 

Maybe some nearby shops could have a voucher scheme where you pick up a voucher and then gift that to them so they can at least get a drink and some food. 
 

It is something I think about every time I walk past a homeless person, I just don’t carry cash/coins with me at all and haven’t for a long time. 

[Bruce Spanner]

The transaction fees are going to be a killer, that and it would become taxable income, so they’d need an accountant, or be a dab hand at government forms.

 

They’d have to register as self employed.

 

The biggest caveat being though that they need a credit check for one and this requires a fixed address which throws a up quandary of sorts...

 

[Bjornebye]

Yeah and for the genuine homeless we will need to install sockets in outside walls for them to charge their device. 

[Davelfc]

There’s a bloke outside the Morrison’s by me that sells the big issue, he rides a £2500 electric bike. I’ve no problem with that, but how does he charge it? 
 

The lack of cash doesn’t just affect beggars, it also impacts big issue sellers and those street performers in town.
 

Surely someone is working on a digital solution for the beggars. 

[Brownie]

That bank account would make for interesting reading:

 

Home Address - N/A

Landline Number - N/A

[Section_31]

I think virtually anyone who works with the homeless says giving money is a bad idea, rather they advocate "signposting". Me and the Mrs drove around runcorn recently looking for a bloke who'd asked us for money but we had none, but felt guilty as he was limping and looked genuinely fucked off, so I pretty much jumped out the car snd ran after him.

 

Some of the stuff you see though really fucks me off, especially in town. People begging by cash machines annoys me, and it should be banned near hospitals.

 

Came out of the royal once, already stressed - as you tend to be - thought I'd get a drink, guy begging outside Starbucks and one outside Spar too, all the entrances covered like a paramilitary operation. So decided to fuck it off and go home but there was one sat outside the entrance to the multi storey too.

[Chip Butty]

26 minutes ago, Ezekiel 25:17 said:

Trust an actual homeless with my bank details, next time I see them they're pushing a trolley of skol out of the Kwikky, no thanks.

Mate, thats a bit of a scared approach. Not all homeless are there due to drink or drugs and largeley you find they then start drink, to hide away the pain and hopelessness of it all. 

 

Life can be shit on people, and if you can help out personally from one individual to another, then why shouldn't we. Technology is never going away, so it should be accessible to all, I guess?

 

I'm not saying I'm right here, I'm more concerned that avenues of financial support can be missed. I know from experience the guidance to not give money, however, not all all homeless immediately run the offy and get 20 cans of special brew in. 

 

 

 

 

[Chip Butty]

31 minutes ago, Poster said:

Anything like a contactless method is traceable, plus it’s also subject to abuse. 
 

Maybe some nearby shops could have a voucher scheme where you pick up a voucher and then gift that to them so they can at least get a drink and some food. 
 

It is something I think about every time I walk past a homeless person, I just don’t carry cash/coins with me at all and haven’t for a long time. 

Considering traceability, wouldn't it stop the titled 'professional beggers'? who rake in hundreds from almost using it as a profession? 

[Section_31]

I think we can generalise too much with begging, everyone has their own story and I don't think you can say all are deserving of sympathy any more than you can say all are deserving of contempt.

 

I was on a course with a guy who'd been homeless for 30 years, he'd been an architect but had a breakdown when his wife died.

 

Likewise I've had beggers refuse a cup of tea because I hadn't put any sugar in it, and another come marauding out of his tent on Wood Steeet (!?) calling me, with no shortage of irony, a "fucking smackhead" because I'd said I had no change.

 

Needless to say, if I'd owned a flamethrower and had a queen's pardon in my back pocket, I'd have had absolutely no compunctions at all in sending him to the great B&M booze aisle in the sky. Then charge trendy middle class students money to have their selfies taken with the aftermath so they could post it on their poverty porn Instagram account "this was Bob, and this was his story...", all proceeds going to the YMCA.

[Davelfc]

12 minutes ago, Chip Butty said:

Considering traceability, wouldn't it stop the titled 'professional beggers'? who rake in hundreds from almost using it as a profession? 

Professionals would be using many accounts, they’re well organised and know the drill. I hate them with a passion as they deprive genuine people of help and many people paint all beggars with the same brush because of it.

 

 

[Curly]

1 hour ago, Chip Butty said:

Coming out of the match on Sunday, there's a guy begging on Walton Breck Rd, not the usual and now semi-famous "spare any change for some petrol for me Ferrari" fella, this guys just sat there, looks well like he's on the bones of his arse and I want to drop a couple of quid, though I've got no money, just me debit card, so I say to him - I've got no change mate its all contactless now fellla, to which he replies - I know mate, we're all suffering. 

 

So its got me thinking, is it too much of a thing, to have contactless begging? 

 

This may sound a daft question to put out there, but what are the pitfalls of something like this?  Granted there should be no begging but this is where we are 2021, so why can't we modernise begging? 

Anybody else reading that expecting it to go “and then he pulled out his contactless payment machine”?

[Curly]

32 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

I think virtually anyone who works with the homeless says giving money is a bad idea, rather they advocate "signposting". Me and the Mrs drove around runcorn recently looking for a bloke who'd asked us for money but we had none, but felt guilty as he was limping and looked genuinely fucked off, so I pretty much jumped out the car snd ran after him.

 

Some of the stuff you see though really fucks me off, especially in town. People begging by cash machines annoys me, and it should be banned near hospitals.

 

Came out of the royal once, already stressed - as you tend to be - thought I'd get a drink, guy begging outside Starbucks and one outside Spar too, all the entrances covered like a paramilitary operation. So decided to fuck it off and go home but there was one sat outside the entrance to the multi storey too.

When I was living in Leeds I went to the shop near by at about 10pm, and I was fucking bladdered on the search for more ale and bifters.

 

There was a homeless guy there and I didn’t have any money, so offered to buy him some food and drink or whatever. I can’t remember how it went exactly, but due to being pissed I asked him if he wanted to come back to mine for a bath and a warm bed. Never seen someone shit themselves so much. He didn’t take me up on my offer of a potentially drugged sarnie and was cowering in a bus stop on the other side of the road when I came out. At the time I was thinking “ungrateful get”, but by the next morning I realised what a weirdo I must have looked. “Come back for a warm bath and a bed for the night mate”. Fuck sake.

 

I should have come out waving a bottle of chianti and doing Hannibal Lector noises.

[Bjornebye]

10 minutes ago, belarus said:

Anybody else reading that expecting it to go “and then he pulled out his contactless payment machine”?

Yep. 

[Total Longo]

9 minutes ago, belarus said:

Anybody else reading that expecting it to go “and then he pulled out his contactless payment machine”?

Genuinely disappointed that it didn't, as i'd put my Daily Mail reader's head on especially.   

[Elite]

An electronic system where the cash can only be used for items that are not harmful such as alcohol, cigs, etc would be good in an ideal world and could only be used by the person who's card it is so they can't be swapped for drugs etc.

 

Almost like those gift shops at the arcades when you win tickets but obviously on a much larger scale which sells food, hygiene products, clothing, blankets, etc.

 

As already said though, the vast majority of homeless people have addictions, so would be open to abuse.

[dockers_strike]

1 hour ago, Chip Butty said:

Why? 

Because it's taking the piss. Offer to buy them some food with your contactless payment.

[Mook]

Whatever next, contactless sex?

 

BRING BACK NATIONAL SERVICE 

[Davelfc]

4 minutes ago, Elite said:

An electronic system where the cash can only be used for items that are not harmful such as alcohol, cigs, etc would be good in an ideal world and could only be used by the person who's card it is so they can't be swapped for drugs etc.

 

Almost like those gift shops at the arcades when you win tickets but obviously on a much larger scale which sells food, hygiene products, clothing, blankets, etc.

 

As already said though, the vast majority of homeless people have addictions, so would be open to abuse.

As great as that would be, what’s to stop that person buying all the correct items, then selling them for cash.

 

 

[Bjornebye]

Had a couple of drinks for my birds birthday last week, only sat outside a bar on castle St. 3 separate people came right into the seating areas hassling people for change. I gave one the only bit of change I had so when I said sorry to the other two not one of them acknowledged they just turned their back and asked the next table. If I could click my fingers and put a roof over everyones head with food in the cupboards I would and I'll always give change if I've got it but some of them are just taking the fucking piss. 

[Bjornebye]

2 minutes ago, Mook said:

Whatever next, contactless sex?

 

BRING BACK NATIONAL SERVICE