I think there is a legitimate role for Government or Not-For-Profit here: Rather than providing money handouts to the worst off citizens, why not just cut out

I think there is a legitimate role for Government or Not-For-Profit here: Rather than providing money handouts to the worst off citizens, why not just cut out the middleman and offer basic prefab housing and cheap nutritious meals instead? Instead of shipping individual groceries to middle-class hipsters, why not just cut out the middleman and cook the food instead? Such a restaurant scheme already operates in India (called 'subsidised canteens'), and is used by all classes there since its cheap and reliable. The meals aren't free - they cost a few cents. I'd happily eat almost every meal at such a restaurant which offered no-frills service, a simple (and probably vegetarian) menu, and very low cost. The menu could be coordinated with seasonally and locally available ingredients, and would probably offer a single choice of food, changed daily. It would be like a soup-kitchen - but the need to pay a buck, and the presence of the middle classes, would make it acceptable for everyone. I think if organised well enough, it could actually be more efficient that having everyone cooking at home - better logistics for the use of ingredients, less food waste, less water wasted in cleaning dishes, etc. Not too mention the better division of labour by having dedicated cooks doing the work with professional-grade equipment, rather than everyone spending ages to do it at home (and for a lot of poor people, they lack the equipment or skills to cook proper meals).