Just so you know, the people you see begging on the street represent a very small percentage of the people who experience homelessness. They're the ones either with mental illnesses or drug/alcohol dependencies or language barrier/education issues. By giving those people money, you perpetuate their homelessness by preventing them from being accepted into services designed to help them or keeping them uneducated as to how to obtain said services. This is not my personal opinion - it's the research backed recommendation of experts specializing in addiction and homelessness. Giving the people who ask money makes you feel good, but it's the selfish option - because it hurts them. If you're serious about helping the homeless, it's going to take more work then giving someone on the street a few dollars. This obviously doesn't apply in poorer countries or after natural disasters like Katrina and I won't discourage you from offering to buy people who need one a meal or diapers for their baby (don't offer them food that they haven't seen prepared though. There are sick fucks who give the homeless granola bars with glass shards in them.), but really think about what's best for that person before you just give them cash.