It's up to you to make a judgment call on this. There is always a risk to helping others. If no one takes risks life is more unpleasant. But if you do take risk

It's up to you to make a judgment call on this. There is always a risk to helping others. If no one takes risks life is more unpleasant. But if you do take risks there is more ... risk. If you end up bringing them home it can really help to have someone experienced with drug counseling to be able to check in and make sure that hard drugs are not an issue. Someone experienced with drug users will be able to tell at a glance, and if that is the case, don't get too closely involved, but refer to an agency instead. I have helped out homeless people various times, including finding them jobs and housing. Contrary to popular opinion, a lot of homeless people would really like to get off the street, and are not any more 'mentally ill' than anyone else would be in that situation. To get off the street though you need housing, for housing you need a job, to get a job you need a house. It's surprisingly easy to help someone break that cycle by putting them in a place with a phone for a couple months. What you need from the homeless person is someone willing to work even a lousy job if needed. If unwilling to work or picky about jobs then you just have a pet to feed.