Forum Topic

Hungry

I was in Ealing Broadway about an hour ago and there were four men sitting separately on the ground wrapped in blankets each with a sign saying they are very hungry. I spoke to two of them to tell them were to find a hot two course meal, no questions asked, but they don't speak English. The signs are all in the same handwriting and look identical. Are they these guys there every day? There was also a very pretty girl with freshly washed long blond hair who had a sign saying she was homeless. Same handwriting as the others signs.

Maire Lowe ● 108d8 Comments

You're all heart Simon.

Keith Iddon ● 107d

I was about to give one money/food today until I saw her smoking.

Simon Wycombe ● 107d

Pareto's 80/20 Principle has been proven to be an excellent yardstick/rule of thumb for almost everything.In this case there is arguably an approx 20% chance the hungry person is genuine.

Rosco White ● 107d

The Police would probably be interested if there is a gang working the area.  They have a special team dealing with trafficking.

Chris Lucy ● 107d

I bought a slab of cake and a milky coffee for a slumped figure on the high street. He was a kid with hardly any teeth, freezing cold hands and was probably an addict. But he wolfed down cake and coffee and was pitifully thankful.

Susan Hamlyn ● 107d

I’m sure you’re right. I gave a cheese sandwich to a beggar once who was begging outside a Pitshanger Co-op. He threw it away. Someone told me he wanted the money to buy drugs.

Bettina Margaret Thwaite ● 107d

100% agree with Simon. People I know who work with the homeless, either paid or as volunteers, all say never give cash to someone in the street. However, if someone has a sign saying 'hungry' I can't see the harm of giving them some food.

Tricia Arbuthnot ● 108d

Unfortunately, what you are seeing here is common not only in Ealing but also in many towns and city centres around the UK.This is often linked to people trafficking or the drug trade rather than purely homeless people.If you wait around for a while, you will notice that in some situations, a "handler" will appear and collect any money that has been donated to the person. It is widely recognised that more can be achieved by donating money directly to charities supporting homeless people. If you feel that you need to do something, many Ealing cafes have a "buy it forward" scheme for those who need it.

Simon Hayward ● 108d