Occasionally I will give a food item, a sandwich, fruit, etc. Personally don't give cash because I don't want it used to buy drugs, etc. These days with so many shelters, food pantries and churches that can help, I feel people can reach out to established groups rather than resort to being out on the street begging. Locally the police will give people a ride to a shelter, so no personal transportation needed!
Another angle, individual views of "having" money varies greatly. I've known people who locked their money away in investments, not leaving liquid funds. In their view, they didn't "have" the funds to pay their bills. One couple had their house and car paid off, and had financial investments, plus both were working regularly, yet... they "couldn't" pay their bills. They seemed to truly feel they didn't have the money because they didn't count investments as qualifying for bill paying purposes.
Most begging on the street aren't this scenario, most likely, but it opened my eyes to the many varying ways people look at finances. Some perspectives can be deceptive, in my opinion.
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