Contactless begging

[Tony Moanero]

7 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.

Some years ago, at Christmastime, I gave a homeless fella a packet of unopened cigarettes. He was genuinely made up and couldn’t thank me enough. There are few things more disheartening than seeing someone, who is obviously addicted to nicotine, scrabbling around in the gutter for cigarette butts.

[Total Longo]

15 minutes ago, Mook said:

Whatever next, contactless sex?

 

BRING BACK NATIONAL SERVICE 

[VladimirIlyich]

Isnt contactless begging simply called charity?

[Jarvinja Ilnow]

Sorry about the source:

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2911249/Beggar-rakes-cash-outside-swanky-Mayfair-restaurant-using-chip-pin-machine-spends-holidays-iPad-whinges-Cowell-gave-20.html

 

If I remember correctly, he got the machine because James Stunt didn't carry cash with him but was known to be flash, so then dropped him alot via the machine. He didn't see anything wrong in what he was doing, just innovating. 

[Captain Turdseye]

1 hour ago, Chip Butty said:

 

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. 

Some of them can only carry 10. 

[Aventus]

Won't be long before they're carrying their own QR Codes around, and people can send them bitcoin by scanning them. 

[Davelfc]

Just now, Aventus said:

Won't be long before they're carrying their own QR Codes around, and people can send them bitcoin by scanning them. 

Poor buggers, they’d see what little cash they had disappear overnight. 

[Bjornebye]

It is a fair concern though that fewer and fewer people are carrying cash to give to people asking for a bit of change. Once that dries up I expect burglaries and other crimes to go up. A positive is a load of them might drink/get high less and maybe find the right level of clarity to pull themselves out of the mess they are in. 

[sir roger]

Bemused that these guys are on park benches but appear to have a stronger wifi signal than me.

[Harry's Lad]

I saw a young lad, about 16, just sat on a piece of cardboard in the middle of winter, freezing cold with people not even looking at him. He wasn't begging, he was just sat there hugging his knees with his head down.

 

I got him a hot pie and a cup of soup from the shop over the road. The poor kid must have been starving. I asked him if he could go home as it's got to be better than this to which he said, no he wasn't going back there.

He never went into details but did say he had a bed for the night.

 

He just looked so small, with the weight of the world on his shoulders for one so young.

It's haunted me for years not knowing what happened to him and if he's ok.

 

Someone's son. How bad must things have been?.

 

 

[manwiththestick]

On Sunday night I decided to walk to the shop up the road for a couple of cans, I'd been the pub in the afternoon to watch the match and was feeling happy and relieved after it but had no beers in the house. 

 

As I was walking up to the shop, pissing down also, a homeless guy, who I have seen about before who was soaked to the bone asked if I could spare change, I felt bad as I had no cash on me and he probably didn't remember me but he knocked at ours a few weeks back offering to do some gardening jobs and again I had no cash and nothing needed doing. 

 

He seemed a genuine bloke so on Sunday I said I had no cash but asked if he wanted to come the shop with me he could pick some stuff and I'd put it on my card, he was so appreciative and at first said he was alright but thanks, I insisted and he came with and picked up a sausage roll, bottle of fizzy drink and a chocolate bar. I bought my stuff but got an extra couple of cans of lager and outside I offered him the couple extra if he wanted them, again he was so appreciative and you could tell he was a genuine  person in a tight spot for whatever reason and I was glad to help him.

 

I wouldn't trust anyone with some contacless device though, fuck that.

[A Red]

There are people that wont give beggars money in case they spend it on booze/drugs/fags but think other people are nazis when they suggest rent benefits should be paid direct to landlords in order to reduce evictions.

[Aventus]

1 hour ago, Aventus said:

Won't be long before they're carrying their own QR Codes around, and people can send them bitcoin by scanning them. 

Seems like China are one step ahead of me. 

[Anubis]

7 minutes ago, A Red said:

There are people that wont give beggars money in case they spend it on booze/drugs/fags but think other people are nazis when they suggest rent benefits should be paid direct to landlords in order to reduce evictions.

I don't see why the suggestion housing benefit should be paid to the landlord renders a person a Nazi. Are you making this up? It should happen that way, but I think the government have been quite deliberate in ensuring it doesn't happen. Asked, they make the weak argument that people should take responsibility for their own money, but the reality is they know full well that a lot of the people they are talking about are ill-equipped to manage themselves and often have serious addictions and other problems.  I think they quite like the idea of being able to label them feckless wasters when the rent doesn't get paid, and don't give a shit about things like evictions as long as it saves them a few pennies in administration of the money and not having to split a person's benefit and send it to the person's account and the landlord's account.

[Harry's Lad]

16 minutes ago, Aventus said:

Seems like China are one step ahead of me. 

I didn't know Ken Hom had fallen on hard times.

[A Red]

2 minutes ago, Anubis said:

I don't see why the suggestion housing benefit should be paid to the landlord renders a person a Nazi. Are you making this up? It should happen that way, but I think the government have been quite deliberate in ensuring it doesn't happen. Asked, they make the weak argument that people should take responsibility for their own money, but the reality is they know full well that a lot of the people they are talking about are ill-equipped to manage themselves and often have serious addictions and other problems.  I think they quite like the idea of being able to label them feckless wasters when the rent doesn't get paid, and don't give a shit about things like evictions as long as it saves them a few pennies in administration of the money and not having to split a person's benefit and send it to the person's account and the landlord's account.

Making it up?!? I would never do such a thing, you've nearly made me fall out of my helicopter.

 

I got called a nazi on here for suggesting such a thing, apparently it was 1 step away from stripping away human rights and just giving vouchers to the unemployed that could only be spent on what the the state decided.

[Juniper]

I’d like to see some form of technology for homeless people over here as, with others that have stated, coins are dying out and we all carry less these days.

 

Cant remember the last time I used cash, maybe a couple years ago!

 

I’d not give a beggar some money using a standard contactless payment machine though. Not comfortable with that at all. 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

3 hours ago, Chip Butty said:

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. 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, I was of course taking the piss, I am aware of all this.

[Geoff Woade]

22 minutes ago, Anubis said:

I don't see why the suggestion housing benefit should be paid to the landlord renders a person a Nazi. Are you making this up? It should happen that way, but I think the government have been quite deliberate in ensuring it doesn't happen. Asked, they make the weak argument that people should take responsibility for their own money, but the reality is they know full well that a lot of the people they are talking about are ill-equipped to manage themselves and often have serious addictions and other problems.  I think they quite like the idea of being able to label them feckless wasters when the rent doesn't get paid, and don't give a shit about things like evictions as long as it saves them a few pennies in administration of the money and not having to split a person's benefit and send it to the person's account and the landlord's account.

Wrong on the last part. It’s in their interest to maintain tenancies because homeless accommodation if the tenant does get evicted is many times more expensive than a regular tenancy. They know this. To be honest, like all these things, when the rule came in about paying to tenants unless there was a major reason why not, it started harsh but just soon ended up fairly relaxed by giving the out of being allowed to pay the LL ‘to protect the tenancy’ which basically covers everything.

I think the gamble they do take is more in the eligible rent levels they pay. It’s lower than needed but they hope the landlords would take a lower rent because at least the property is filled.

They do it by the back door like having things like the LL not getting a ctax exemption between tenancies etc. 

[Edward.]

4 hours ago, Bjornebye said:

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

Genuine homeless people can be living in a hostel, sofa surfing etc and have access to electricity, also there are libraries, homeless centres such as Crisis etc . 

[Bjornebye]

6 minutes ago, Edward. said:

Genuine homeless people can be living in a hostel, sofa surfing etc and have access to electricity, also there are libraries, homeless centres such as Crisis etc . 

Not all though and the tents around the city centre will attest to that. Also, I wasn't being serious. 

[Section_31]

One of the biggest issues in this country is that tory austerity stripped councils and local health authorities of early intervention services. There are a lot of people with drug, alcohol and mental health problems whose lives could have been turned around before it got so out of hand.

[Edward.]

1 minute ago, Bjornebye said:

Not all though and the tents around the city centre will attest to that. Also, I wasn't being serious. 

I know you weren’t. The amount of people sleeping rough is quite small compared to those who have a place to stay, however awful the accommodation might be, although a homeless street count is an odd thing 

[Captain Turdseye]

1 hour ago, Aventus said:

Seems like China are one step ahead of me. 

 

[Captain Turdseye]

I don’t think he’s one step ahead of anyone to be fair. 
 

Definitely spending it on booze as well, he’s fucking legless.