The Guy in the Doorway

We were walking through the local shopping area recently during the evening.  In one of the doorways there was a man apparently settling in for the night.  He approached us, but it was during the evening and even though the immediate area had some lighting,  the night was dark and there were hardly any people around.    It's one of those decisions that you make quickly, but we ignored him and walked on.

I thought about our actions later, especially as this week is Homeless Persons' Week:  see here.

We are often told that homelessness is an issue in society (leaving aside all those definitional issues....seems it's broader than "rooflessness"), and of course we are sympathetic to people who are in this situation.  However, ought our sympathy extend to putting our hands in our pocket each time we encounter someone who looks to us?

It may be callous, but these days I'm generally reluctant to respond to people - usually males - who approach me on the street.  Frankly, the lack of gratitude, verging on abuse ("is that all?"), that I encountered on a couple of occasions some years back didn't help.    In our society, the fact that a person is "on the street" seems to me often to be a symptom of other issues.  Yes, domestic violence is said to be one such issue (although I'm doubtful if it's the issue so far as the males who approach you on the street are concerned), but there are others:   drug addiction, alcoholism, mental illness and so on.   There are agencies who work with people with these issues, and although in this area, no matter how well-resourced the agencies are, it will "never be enough", the services are in fact available.   Thus, my view is that my support ought to be directed to such agencies - as it indeed is - and that I am not bound to apply a band-aid every time I'm approached.