An Illinois man is getting a lot of heat online after his wife shared gifts he was making for homeless people. It led viewers to debate the merits of his ‘help,’ many of whom argued it was “out of touch” and even “cruel.”
Posted by TikTok user _Grace525, Grace had posted her husband’s current project, stating, “These are meant to hand out to the homeless. He had been working at this for awhile and when he finally showed me, it touched me deeply God sent me way more than I could have imagined.”
It initially looks to be a small wad of cash in a clip, but then she does the reveal: It’s just a single $5 bill folded around several pages titled: THE 26 STEPS TO OFF THE STREET (yes, there is a typo, too). It was a guide for getting out of homelessness.
The guide did offer some useful advice, such as calling 211 for human resources, using libraries for internet access, and contacting churches for food. At the same time, it also pushed religious doctrine onto its reader, suggesting the use of AI and an unrealistic breakdown of monthly bills. For example, Jack (Grace’s husband), had suggested $750 be set aside for monthly rent, which is half of what the median rent is in the U.S. (source: Census.gov).
That was the first two pages, with the final page being nothing but a how-to on praying like a Catholic and even breaking down what a rosary means. Perhaps initially done in good faith, people online, however, did not interpret it like that.
Viewers drag Jack’s gift online, deeming it “cruel” and “out of touch”
Commenters went for the jugular, arguing that Jack’s idea of helping the homeless wasn’t actually useful at all. The amount of money was a point of contention, as well as how it was seemingly folded around the guide to make it look like there was more money.
One TikTok user, Alysia, called this out, garnering over a thousand Likes. “Offering everything but actual tangible help. Making it look like a wad of cash is so unnecessary and cruel,” she argued.
Another brought up the cost Jack wrote for setting aside for rent. “$750 rent,? when was this printed? 2006?” One viewer added it was “very out of touch.”
Several viewers took issue with the religious text interspliced in Jack’s ‘guide’ to getting out of homelessness. “Funny how theyre like ‘get ur life together and then find god’,” wrote TikTok user Maddie. “Girl boo what is $5 and a prayer gonna do,” asked another.
The comments continued to roll in with many condemning this method of helping, with some viewers approaching it in good faith. This may have been done with good intentions, but in practice it does come off as pretty tone-deaf.
