“Homeless” people (including people sleeping rough but not for the fun of it, and panhandlers) are part of a moral economy. The OP is considering their own mora

“Homeless” people (including people sleeping rough but not for the fun of it, and panhandlers) are part of a moral economy. The OP is considering their own moral position. This isn’t just about money, or “help.” It’s about self-respect and respect for others. It’s even about patriotism. There is no right answer— I can’t see the truth and don’t know the consequences of my actions. So, my policy is: I usually ignore them, and once in a while I offer the help they request. The first time I visited Paris I saw a man begging on a street-corner. He had a dog. I gave money to help the dog. I soon found that nearly every street corner had another guy— with another dog! I wondered if this was a scheme by the men or if the dogs started it. It was harder to not give money to dogs, but I had to steel myself or I would go broke and be forced to get my own dog.