What do you think about giving employment applications to homeless people?

Before you get angry, let me explain. Every day, on my way to and from work, I pass a strip mall with two young, very able-bodied homeless people CAMPED at the entrance to the mall with their signs and cups, asking for food and money. Right in front of a large grocery store, several mom & pop shops, some fast food restaurants, the list goes on. Now, I've been on my own since I was 17, and believe me, my life hasn't been a barrel of laughs. But I WORK, and I have always worked. So maybe this is why I have no pity for them. A whole bunch of stores in this mall are hiring, so what's the problem with them getting a JOB and WORKING for their money? Rather than hand out my HARD EARNED money, why shouldn't I give them some job applications instead? It's about giving a hand up, not a hand out, right?

Miss Ellie, you are so right. I'd bet these two bring in more money than I do in a regular day's work. And all tax free! Imagine that.

Now, I do have sympathy for MENTALLY ILL, homeless people. These two are NOT mentally ill, and my guess is they're not truly homeless, either. I'd bet they're just really, really lazy.

WHY NOT? They make more TAX FREE DOLLARS panhandling than they would in those stores.

Thank you for choosing my answer...one family of panhandlers made 75 dollars a day. TAX FREE and turned down a job in KMART Report It

That's a really good idea.
I respect that over giving them pocket change.

I would do the same thing, these 2 able bodied people probably have been handed everything to them in their life and grew up with no responsibility. I have no sympathy for these type of people either

You have my vote !
Work might interfere with their chemical pass times, however.

you know i agree with you alot of people who should be working are not.. but i work with alot of these kind of people and there may be reasons why they cant work or wont be hired just because someone looks ok on the outside doesnt mean they are all ok... alot of people have mentel issues that you cant see and some cant read or write. while i agree there should be some way to help these people get off the streets dont be so quick to judge.. plus most jobs wont hire you if you dont have a home address.... what boss is going to say oh you live out front of my store? great you got the job....
ducttape :: you are rite in the town i live in we only have a small shelter and you can only stay there for 2 weeks and then they kick you out weather you have a place to go or not.. life is hard and i have worked all my life since 15 so has my husband and we have come really close to loosing it all. and once you get down like that sometimes you really cant get up.

Don't waste your time or someone else's paper...they're there to beg...plain and simple.

The ones that want to work have already gone and got their job applications.
Or gone to a shelter/participated in a program that finds you a job.

I used to walk past these people all the time...they'd always be there too...same spot, same overloaded stolen shopping cart of cr*p, same "disabled veteran" cardboard sign, same foam cup in which to collect your money.

Never would I see them at a homeless shelter (and I volunteered in several from time to time) looking for work - you can look for jobs/sign up for job assistance programs at many homeless shelters.

Some people indeed only want a hand-out, not a hand-up.

Most of the homeless people I know don`t want a job. There`s work all over where I live but they just won`t do it. As long as someone will give them a hand out why should they work? Sometimes they`ll show me and they have more money on them than I do.

ok and I'm not going to be mad I'm going to explain it to you .....now think about this .......ok they get a job in the mall fast food anywhere........where would you like them to shower befor work or after work , and without panhandling how should they eat until they get paid....shelters ok maybe they have been to a shelter and they were full .....I've seen it .....i was homeless last year at the end of act. begining of nov........now just because you have been on your own since 17.....( me since I was 15) and I have always worked but last year I could not find work and I was homeless.........untilyou have been there PLEASE DO NOT BE SO QUICK TO JUDGE.......if you would like to know more you are one of my contacts email me
EDIT; i just read some of the answers here and EVERYONE OF YOU THAT THINK YOU HAVE THE SOLUTION.....sorry im getting mad......shelters are full i know i was one of the lucky ones ...and alot of the men i met there were good and very inteligent people ...some had problems with drugs or alcohol ...and alot of them didnt.....why do people have to stereo type .....homeless....you are a no good dont want to work piece of ****.....well its not true so unless you know dont judge people
yea why not ...tax free dollars get a grip lady

Well, that's more humane than what I do,

I spit on them.

are they homeless, and hopeless? i would think so, otherwise they might have the courage to get a job. maybe the world has beat them down and they have no other way.
no one would ever guess that i was homeless, but my dad left my mom with us four kids and she had to try to care for us. she had no job and couldnt get one with four different aged kids. we ended up in shelters til i was 9 and then we lived in a slum that was full of roaches and horrible, people were killed outside and we werent allowed out our door without our mom. i grew up this way but have learned from it. YOU do not know what has lead them to the doorway, YOU dont know what has beat their spirits down, YOU dont know what they have felt like and been treated like. you dont know their story.

it's not as easy as all that if you're truely homeless. you need to have an address to get a job in most cases. you have to be able to get cleaned up, have clean clothes and the right kind of clothes for that matter. stores are not going to hire a homeless person in most cases. if you lose your job, then its your health insurance, your home and your car. it can happen to anyone unless your wealthy. don't be so fast to judge unless you've walked in their shoes.

I totally agree. Just think how much they can make in one hour in a high-traffic area......probably more than you and me together!

All I'm gonna say is they are Hillary supporters.