I feel like problems start when generalizations are made. I've known many homeless people or panhandlers (not always homeless) who would love a really healthy meal, who don't drink, use drugs or smoke. Others prefer not to do that, would rather eat crap and spend money on substances. Some are really friendly, others belligerent. Isn't this the way it is with all populations of people?
Considering what social services are like in the States (abysmal) if I'm giving someone money (I have on a couple of occasions) I feel like they should spend it on what they need to. I don't feel comfortable telling someone not to spend it on drugs. Maybe using drugs is the only thing that makes it possible to cope with all the crap in their lives, that without the drugs they'd kill themselves or hurt someone else. It's not my place to decide what's right for people, esp since there isn't enough consistent and good help out there for free.
I'm really glad to read here that there other folks around that talk with panhandlers and look folks in the eye and smile. There are literally only a handful of people around here who do. There are some folks around here who set up tables in outdoor public places of healthy, cooked food to give away to anyone who wants to eat. It's not backed by an organization, not always a consistent thing, just folks who do what they can when they can. The smiles on both sides are endless. What a cool thing :)
Sushi Crow