Is Giving Out Tobacco Taboo? A Commentary from a Volunteer with Experience Helping the Homeless
By Stephen Wilson, our reporter in Moscow
“The moral sense of the importance of human life: the humane desire to lighten a little of the torments of all these poor wretches, or restore their shattered courage: the furious and relentless activity which a man summons up at such moments: all these combine to create a kind of energy which gives one a positive craving to relieve as many as you can.” (“A Memory of Solferino,” by Henry Dunant, 1986, Geneva: International Committee of the Red Cross, p. 73.)
"Can you spare a cigarette? Have you got a lighter?" I always answer, "Unfortunately, I don't smoke.” The varied responses seem to be shrugged shoulders, a look of reproof as if to say "Shame on you for not smoking," or the questions “Where are you from? Are you from the Baltic Republics?"
I was asked so many times I began to develop a complex about not smoking. And since some of the homeless often asked me, I decided to purchase a packet of cigarettes just in case they might ask me for a smoke. After I bought this packet, days went by without a single person asking me for a cigarette. So I decided just to get rid of them. I approached one homeless person and asked whether he needed a packet of cigarettes. He answered, "I don't smoke.” It even took me some time indeed to get rid of this packet of cigarettes. I mention this anecdote to illustrate how any giving can turn out to less straightforward than anticipated.
I'm sure we have all either received or given unwanted gifts. For instance, some well-meaning Russians gave me bottles of Scottish whisky as a present. I drink almost no alcohol whatsoever these days. I can't drink whisky. So I ended up treating some guests to this whisky. When I used it as a lubricant to clean plastic figures for painting my wife drew a fit, asking me "How can you use expensive whisky to wash plastic soldiers?" -- as if I had committed some heinous crime.
Giving out certain items to the homeless can be highly problematic. This applies especially to three things: tobacco, clothes and money. Certainly, there is no clear consensus between different volunteers as to what is the right thing to do. They can draw up general guidelines but in the final analysis a lot depends on how a volunteer weighs up a particular concrete situation which can vary from one place to another…
TOBACCO
Just over a month ago I came across a young Russian woman who seemed to be slightly drunk under a bridge. She looked as if she was begging but this may or may not have been the case. I asked her if she needed some help. Dasha suspiciously asked, “What do you want from me?" I answered, "Nothing! I just wanted to know what you need!" She responded matter-of-factly, "I need a cigarette." So I bought her a packet of cigarettes and I struck up a conversation with her. It turned out she was from Yekaterinburg and had a hard time living here. She told me, "Moscow is a terrible city. If you take my advice and want to live I'd leave here as quickly as possible.” She seemed more worried about me than herself. She continued, saying, "I don't think it is a good idea for you to meet my friends… they are homeless and they'll take advantage of you. I would turn around and go the other way." I did in fact leave, and I never saw her again.
When I was working with the homeless in the late 1990's in Moscow I was surprised to see the Swedish volunteer Christina in our brotherhood dishing out free packets of cigarettes to the homeless near our soup kitchen. It was as if it were raining cats and dogs and cigarettes! Nobody reproached her for this! The Director of the Center for Humanitarian Aid Namrud Negash asked me to bring some packets of cigarettes into a hospital for a homeless patient. He found it sad that the guy was walking around the bathroom looking for any cigarette stumps he could find. I also recall that when I visited a group called the Committee of Mothers of Soldiers (they campaigned for the rights of soldiers in the Russian army) I noticed huge piles of cigarettes waiting to be distributed to the soldiers by volunteers.
It is worth reading the book “A Memory of Solferino,” which was written by the founder of the Red Cross, Henry Dunant. Dunant had been on a business trip when he by accident stumbled into the aftermath of a horrific battle between the Austrians, Italians and French in 1859. Dunant attempted to relieve the immense suffering of so many wounded soldiers who lay abandoned without medical aid. He spontaneously organised the distribution of food, water and with some volunteers, gave out a lot of cigars. He was known as 'The White gentleman with the cigars.’ The cigars not only brought a little comfort to the men but the sweet scent dispelled some of the pungent stench of some wounds. Dunant writes, “Two more Englishmen showed the utmost helpfulness from the beginning and distributed cigars among the Austrians” (page 64).
Of course some people will counter with objections “that smoking causes cancer" and “we should be improving and not inadvertently ruining a person's health.” Smoking is viewed as a pernicious evil that ought to be eliminated. It is doubtful whether religious organisations which aid the homeless will approve of handing out tobacco. By the way, I have yet to come across an article which even raises the issue of whether cigarettes should be handed out to the homeless.
CLOTHES
Another controversial issue is whether to hand out clothes to the homeless. Jeremy Myers, an American who helps the homeless thinks it is a mistake to give out a lot of clothes to the homeless. It is because they can sell them in exchange for alcohol or drugs. He recommends giving out just socks and underwear.
Concerning Moscow, Myers has a point. In the 1990's, an Orthodox brotherhood distributed a lot of clothes. It was a grave error. We witnessed alcoholics fighting and attempting to wrench clothes from each other. They had gone utterly berserk to get the clothes. An ugly tug of war broke out over who should acquire the clothes. It was as if those very clothes were a passport to their next fix. It was obvious they would sell those clothes in exchange for alcohol. You can't just turn up at a spot in lavishly hand out any clothes to the homeless without at least taking precautions.
For some reason, I have heard appeals by charities for people to give away their worst and oldest clothes to the homeless. But sometimes those clothes are 'not fit for any man or beast.’ It is like using homeless people as a convenient 'rubbish dump.' This is why Nochlezhka (a charity in Moscow) asks that only brand new socks and shirts should be given. Socks and shoes full of holes are not only useless but demeaning. Why not give the homeless clothes in decent condition?
MONEY
When it comes to money, a lot of charities are implacably opposed to giving out money. According to the guidelines of Nochlezhka, money should not be given out to the homeless because they can purchase alcohol or drugs. But if most of the homeless don't have a drink or drug problem, then why do we need such rigid guidelines to follow to the letter?
One activist stated, "I disagree with the advice of never giving money. A lot of people in the street do not automatically have problems with alcohol or other addictions and are smart enough to spend their money wisely. There are many reasons for becoming homeless than addiction. Giving them money will allow them to buy the things they need when they need them, without having to carry them around all the time. By trying not to give money we might end up giving nothing at all..”
A further argument is that not giving money sounds patronizing and condescending. It is as the homeless are being treated like helpless little children that just can't be trusted to be responsible. It also presumes that the volunteers know what is best for the homeless when some don't really have a clue.
Certainly, it is best to just go out and really get to know the homeless. We should patiently learn and listen to them and find out what they really need. While it is understandable that some volunteers immediately rush in and aid the homeless they should stop and think before acting. We should not heedlessly rush in where angels fear to tread. We should constantly ask, “Are we actually helping the homeless -- or acting without thought?” Passion and indignation are not enough. We also have to use some reasoning.
“Getting to know the homeless...” If only we did that we might be able to answer our questions about how to help them better. Learning their own individual stories requires a commitment – and indeed some amount of time. We may find out that tobacco, clothing, and money are not the main things they want or need.