Is it bad to give homelessness people money if they spend it on drugs?

I was homeless for about a third of my life. Giving addicts money will only buy them drugs/alcohol and they will still not eat. Instead, give free meal coupons, grocery/diner gift cards or take them somewhere yourself. Then you are actually helping responsibly.
I appreciated very much every time someone took the time to take me to a burger place and sit with me talking while I ate what they bought. Homeless people need more than just shelter and food, they are also very lonely and are vulnerable to all the junkies abusing social assistance and using up the food banks and soup kitchens to better afford their habits.

I used to think it was bad to help finance vices. But now I think the act of giving is just that - giving. The giving comes from me and the receiving is on them. What they do with my gift is none of my business.

I don't think it's morally wrong to give homeless people drug money, but it's marginally less good than donating that same money to legitimate institutions. Illegal drugs are expensive, which makes them like a black hole for your generosity. A heroin addict can end up spending over $100 on heroin in a single day, equivalent to over a week's worth of food for someone else. I'd prefer the latter outcome over the former in a heartbeat.

I fell like my job is to give. It is between them and God what they spend it on.

I don’t give money to homeless I’d rather give them food

A reporter from Fox news did a tongue in cheek experiment and they televised it. It was pretty funny. He pretended to be a homeless man, sat near the subway entrance with a sign, and he raked in more money during that day than if he had worked all day at minimum wage. (They carefully tracked the donors and returned their money to them later on). Some people actually gave him food, and coffee.

He did this for two or three days, and on the fourth day he wrote a different sign, which said that he planned to go out and buy booze with the money people donated, and he got a HUGE response with it. People said they really appreciated his honesty...thought the sign was really original and creative and REFRESHING...and he ended up with MORE money that day than he made the first three days!!

Having worked at a homeless shelter, I can tell you that booze and drugs are a huge problem. I used to have to search the residents clothing with rubber gloves on when they first arrived, and they told me to be really careful because it was possible I could get stuck by a needle. AIDS, hepatitis...eww.

We all want to give. Giving springs from love, and God wants us all to love one another. But sometimes tough love is the only type of love we [i]should[/i] give.

If you had a friend over to your house, and you KNEW he or she was an alcoholic, would you give them a gift certificate to a liquor store? Probably not. If you REALLY care, you have to care responsibly.

I think in general you shouldn’t give strangers on the street money

nope - IDC what they spend it on -

I think it's better that your money wound up with the legitimate restaurant, than with his drug dealer. Maybe inviting him into the restaurant to dine with you would cheer him up a bit?

I don’t give any Beggers anything. They have shelters and food pantries. Nothing gets handed to me.

i do not care for who knows what would my mental state be if i were in their shoes

I must admit this is one reason why I don’t give them money often.

None of my business what they use the money for. I have shown them love.

I've bought them a cup of tea and a sandwich. Gone past later to find them in a drunken stupor and pigeons eating the sandwich. There's a couple of retired homeless British soldiers sleeping rough near my work in London. I do give them a bottle of wine at Xmas and clothes and books sometimes

I prefer to buy food for them

I will buy them food

I will buy a pending coffee at a local restaurant and someone in need can go in and have it on me

I'd always give a sandwich rather than money I think you did the right thing

Honestly,i would probably end up spending it on drugs anyways so no big deal.

I rarely give them money or food anymore, because I can’t afford it, tbh. I’ll never forget years ago after working a 10 hour day, I stopped by a McD and on the way home, a guy asked for money because he was “hungry”. I had only train fare at that point, so I gave him my hamburger. I looked back and he was throwing it in the trash !
I’ve been a volunteer at a shelter for several years, so now I just refer them there. If they’re [b]truly[/b] hungry, they’ll be fed there. Sometimes I’ve even helped with the cooking.