Homeless Man With A Plan
February 19, 2010 by: Dave Ozment
Being homeless is by no stretch a tragedy and while it is not a cause I actively combat, it never fails to illicit a reaction in my mind if not my heart.
In Canterbury, England the youthfulness of the homeless population is shocking, the true stench of the homeless population surrounding Philadelphia’s City Hall will turn your stomach, and the aggressive and entitled nature of the panhandlers in New York City will boil your blood.
Be it anger or despair or sorrow or even gratitude in my own good fortune, my responses have always been rooted in the misfortune – self inflicted or not – of others. Never has it been, on its own merit, a positive response. That is, until I encountered perhaps the smartest homeless man in the world while visiting Key West a few years ago.
Key West? No further explanation is required, this guy is ahead of the game. Face, if I had no home or societal tether, a urine soaked park bench in Philly’s City Center would not be my first choice. Nor would a back alley or crowded sidewalk in the NYC. Without steady shelter, a warmer climate just makes sense. It’s what birds do, there is a natural model.
However, the genius behind this homeless man’s plan is in his day to day approach. He has staked out a popular tourist and photo-op location and in a very friendly and engaging manner offers to take the picture every couple or family wants to capture on their camera – them standing next to the attraction. Enough curious ‘patrons’ will ask questions that enable him to humbly share that he’s homeless which creates an undercurrent of conversation and voila, the tips come rolling in.
Counting my 2 bucks, he probably raked in 8 or 10 dollars in the 20 minutes we were there.
Now I’m not naïve enough to think that is could not be a scam. Enough investigative news teams have followed panhandlers from their corner to nice cars and homes and too many of New York’s wheel chaired elderly change beggers have simply been ‘checked out’ of hospitals and institutions by lazy relatives trying to turn a quick buck. So even if this dude isn’t exactly living under a pier he is effectively exchanging a valued service for the tips he collects – a lesson from which many workers relying on our tips could learn.
And so my point – do I have one today – is that we should each have a plan. Mindlessly wandering through our days without a plan propelling us towards a positive and improved outcome is polite society’s equivalent of a well pissed park bench. Meanwhile, working with a goal, an objective, a plan to win is rewarding and much admired, whether you’re the director of your department or the best paid amateur photographer in Key West.
Photo By: illflux
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I have seen a homeless receive money and then take out his cell and ordering pizza. I have also seen a homeless get what amounts to 100$ an hour from beggin on the subway – and he doesnt even pay tax… only downside to this line of work is you apparently have to stink like shit and look rather pathetic, which is propably more than I could take… the worse the better..
Though compassion is very much wanted and needed in this world, I feel this profession is sometimes stretching it a bit too far.
Aye, I agree with you on that final point. Have a plan to achieve your goals. I would also like to mention that your plan should have an exit strategy. As far as homelessness goes, it is a difficult situation because of the various reasons that caused the person to be homeless.
What is interesting is how some of the homeless makes the most of their situation. I have not been to Key West but I would imagine they are not that much more different than the ones on Venice Beach, providing an informative, entertaining value to the tourists remarking about the locals (like yourself, perhaps?)
I am curious, have you ever asked a homeless person what their plan is?
Mark´s last blog ..Setting the Housing Budget – 2010 – 2011
Hey Mark, I love the simplicity and genius of your last question. I’ve not specifically asked that question… I have asked “what happened?” to a women I saw everyday on the same door step in NYC. She didn’t want to answer but a gave her a couple bucks anyways.
I like you’re question better. What is the plan? I think the answers, for the most part, would be interesting and revealing and sad. I think most would look at their future only in terms of the next few hours – their next meal… I think the key to success – and certainly the key principle to goal setting – is to look further into the future.
Several years ago, while I lived in WA, we read a local newspaper article about a family who begs for money at the supermarket I frequent (yes, I’ve seen them standing around with signs). It was discovered that they actually own a pretty nice house & drives a late model SUV which they park at the supermarket every morning. I was aware that there are some out there who play off people’s sympathies but those people have ruined it for the rest. I don’t give money to strangers I see anymore. I only give to local food bank or well run organizations.
I think you’ve nailed it Sandra…. we are creatures given to our emotions (good and bad). No one really wants to see someone else suffer…. and hence a “business model” is birthed.
I’ve long held the belief that giving money to a situation *may* only enable that situation rather than correct it. That some would brazenly steal from the giving process only serves to further erode the desire for many to contribute. That is what makes your solution the perfect answer – giving is good, I beleive we are called to help, but it is good stewardship to give in a manner that serves the purpose of our giving… a well run organization with a mission aligned with our intentions is the best answer for all involved.
Thanks for sharing!
Dave
I lived in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA for a few years. I spent a lot of time “admiring” how much money the homeless people were making pan handling on the streets!
Benjamin´s last blog ..By: Financial Samurai
Yeah… tax free income with little effort and no accountability. I like the first 2 characteristics!
Thanks for contributing!
Dave
I have a funny homeless person story from college. I went to college at George Washington in DC. There was a Tower Records store in the middle of campus and a homeless person or two always stood outside there begging for money.
One day I was watching one of the panhandlers collect money. Much to my surprise after watching him for about 10 minutes, he walked away, got into a brand new Jeep Wrangler and drove away.
I am sure that this is not typical of most beggers, but I was pretty amazed.
TheDebtHawk.com´s last blog ..Get Out of Debt Carnival – February 17, 2010
Hey Hawk, thanks for the contribution! I’d bet that this kind of thing is more common than we’d like to think….. and the comments here seem to back it up. Sometimes the things that happen ‘right in front of us’ are the ones we miss…. dude drives up, walks to the door, and starts begging… so easy to miss that until you step back and observe.
There’s a couple lessons baked in there! Thanks for sharing!
Dave