gueroinchicago 
We don't really have 'homeless people' in NZ.
Theres people that are homeless, theres people that 'look' homeless, but I have fallen into that catagory by mistake.. and I own my own home...
Theres no cocaine here, so no crack too, meths not seen on the street, or its effects, theres no winos.
People on a benefit, plenty of them, we get enough to get by, NZ$200+ a week to cover everything, you might end up with $100 after.
everything to pay for food etc. Rents probably $40-$120 a room in a flat (with several others) powers probably $15-20, thats per week.
Food costs more here, petrols $8 a gallon.....
So theres hardly any begging, no obvious drug issues, welfares easyish to get - we have a 'right to welfare', its not earned.
I can make money outta thin air, scrapping. So if I see someone whos looking for 'butts', I have either
given them tobacco I have found in my travels or money, but its unprompted.
Theres a older guy I know who I see sometimes, saved smokes for him, given the odd $2 or such when hes asked.
He stops and gives me a lift in his small car if he sees me now.
There was a girl who Id see sometimes looking for extra cash, I found out it was for the 'legal highs' (illegal now...)
Turned out she would get her benefit cash, pay her bills, blow the rest on food, with what was left she would get the legals, she was mostly a few $ short, so it became a game, if she was short, and she saw me, no worrys a few $ and she had what she wanted.
I don't think she ever knew why (me) did, but that was part of the game. Now its illegal, shes not around.
But what it was was, 'we gotta look out for each other' ... & what goes around..... Theres others I see, who smoke, who always have a cigerette in hand for when they see someone looking for a smoke. At $1 each its expensive for some.
But thats what its about, making sure people do know theres someone looking out for them, and quid pro quo.
This is a smaller city @ 50k~ people.
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