In Theory:

Steve Burger, a former director of the Assn. of Gospel Rescue Missions, says Americans should not hand out money to homeless people on the street, but to rather donate to local food or shelter agencies. Burger reportedly believes that giving handouts promotes destructive behavior among the homeless.

What do you think?

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In this world, money is power, and that power can be used in either beneficial or self-destructive ways. Money gives us power to possess and do that which is good and necessary, like purchasing clothes and food and gasoline. But money also enables destructive behaviors like drinking and drug abuse, gambling, prostitution and excess in its many manifestations.

I have done, and would again give money to someone in need if I knew for a fact that they would use it for appropriate purposes. Very responsible people sometimes just hit hard times, and a bit of cash is exactly what they need to help themselves up and out.

I hesitate to generalize, and “there but for the grace of God go I,” but sometimes people are homeless due to nothing other than their poor decisions with regard to the use of their time, money, skills and opportunities. It is irresponsible on our part to ignore this fact, and equally irresponsible to enable people to destroy themselves further by financing their foolishness.

God holds people of faith responsible to meet others’ basic needs out of the abundance He gives us. “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” (James 2:15-16, New American Standard Bible).

PASTOR JON BARTA

Valley Baptist Church

Burbank

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It’s no secret that many of the people in Southern California’s homeless population are addicted to drugs or alcohol; this becomes very evident from even a short observation of the thousands of homeless people in downtown Los Angeles. Because of this sad fact, it’s safe to assume that some of the money given to a homeless person who is an addict could end up exacerbating their addiction, which is not beneficial at all. As a society, we have a responsibility to each other — and this certainly extends to the homeless — and we need to ensure that we don’t encourage destructive behavior or vice.