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7 Comments

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Streeter: Totally Busted

By Kevin Bracken

Overheard on the subway between Chester and Pape. A homeless man is asking people for money and a mother and her teenage son are conversing.
Man: “Spare change for a homeless man, would you help a homeless man? The hostels are closed and I haven’t eaten in three days. Would you help a homeless man, ma’am?”
Mother: “Sorry.”
Man leaves.
Son: “Mom, that guy lives in our building!”

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Comments

  • Chester Pape

    Thanks, Kevin, for yet another reason why you shouldn’t give money to homeless people.

  • Jen

    Its like that guy at Sheppard station, he’ll hold up a toonie & ask for a dollar or 2 so he can get to Mississauga. He’ll hit up 4 or 5 people for money & then wait for the platform to clear, and keep going. And this guy dresses rather well, so you don’t think anything of it. I then step in & expose him for the scam he is, he runs, I board train, he returns.

  • Diane

    It’s really remarkable the number of “homeless” people in this city who wear $200 shoes and have MP3 player headphones poking out of their pockets.
    The real shame is that every dollar that goes to these individuals is a dollar that the truly homeless will never see.

  • Jonah

    Of course, idiots like these are no excuse to not give money to the homeless.
    After all, how hard is it to slip Covenant House $20 bucks online?

  • http://www.newmindspace.com Kevin Bracken

    You are quite right, Jonah. The New York City Subway has, for as long as I can remember, put up signs that say, “Give to charity, just not here.”

  • J

    There’s a woman who’s usually at St. Patrick station at the foot of the escalator who asks for money. I see her on my bus a few times a week in Etobicoke and lives in a bungalo near me. However, I don’t know her story so maybe there’s some sense in it.

  • moi

    If someone is hungry offer to buy them something to eat. If someone needs a place to stay, find out how the local shelter is and give them a referral to it. If they have terrible clothing or shoes, buy them replacements. If they are short bus fare, buy them a ticket. Having been on it, welfare here in Ontario pretty much covers a minimal room to stay in and food. Extra amenities such as soap, toothpaste, clean underwear, etc. can usually be attained at a local charity. What cannot be attained is freedom from some addiction, a return of self-esteem, relief from mental disease or some of the other things that keep someone truly on the streets and needing money.