Don't enable beggars

Well, someone had to start the ball rolling this year with the usual speech of don't give to beggars. This time it was Thamesreach and cynical me seems to think this is the usual ploy to get people to give them the money instead as they claim to help more in better ways. It does seem that when funds are cut or money is tight for some charities that they come out with this don't give beggars thing and they use this slogan that we could do more to help while this is right in so many respects it is also worth noting that many people who live on the streets from day to day struggle to survive. people who give money from time to time do help and yes they might inadvertently help them sustain their drug or drink habits but its not all doom and gloom as things appear to be and if you believe the new campaign of don't put the money in the pushers hands then things are at a worse state than i imagined. the thing is not every person on the street is an addict and this is the big misconception. yes there are addicts living on the streets and its a large number but it not the problem. The problem is there is not enough help. If you phone a hostel on a Monday morning you might be lucky to get a a place but it has been the same old story for a few years now that the shortage of places for people to stay and it has steadily rose year after year. Now in 2008 the story hasn't changed, things are still the same. They say by 2012 things will have been sorted but i think that its just all hot air and what big wigs think is if they put things out of sight then they can sweep the problem under the carpet so to speak. its that want you don't see doesn't hurt you thing. Maybe i am just getting too old and cynical but i have experienced it