I'd like to upvote you, but I can't. Your post relies on them actually being homeless, which I strongly doubt. This is only anecdotal evidence, but it's mine,

I'd like to upvote you, but I can't. Your post relies on them actually being homeless, which I strongly doubt. This is only anecdotal evidence, but it's mine, so I weigh it heavily. I walk to work through a touristy part of Philadelphia, and I pass the same beggars every day. I never give anything more than a smile and conversation, and through that I've come to learn that they generally fall into three camps--the hustlers, the lifers, and the scammers. The hustlers don't bother me because at least they're trying to participate in commerce, usually by selling weed, oils, incense, or CDs. The lifers are generally unemployable or will not ever seek out employment again. They're easy to spot because they generally don't bother with a big spiel--"a little help on the way out?" is about as complex as it gets. The worst group is the scammers. These are generally people with jobs, and always people with a place to stay. They're the ones whose boss left them in the city with no way to get home, whose car broke down or ran out of gas, who got off at the wrong stop and need 60 cents for a bus transfer, got stranded at the greyhound station, etc etc. They're the 21 year olds with a well fed dog and a fresh Starbucks cup but dirty clothes, dirty hair, and an ironic sign. They're never around for more than a week. The couple you described falls squarely in the last category. They're going to hit you up for money and favors in a surprisingly escalating way. Twenty quid for a hostel leads to 60 quid for a prepaid cell phone to "apply for jobs." That turns into a new suit, etc. Meanwhile all that money goes straight to drugs or liquor.