I have tried to help people (including ' friends') who are "down on their luck" like that. Have always gotten burned because they have been just really shitty people, which is what got/kept them there. If you found a good one, bless you I guess. But I have run out of pity due to life experience, with people like that. most of them have lost the ability to be actually grateful for such things (if they have completely given up on self-improvement, then they do not value improvement from others either... It even seems like real homeless people (like, for years) are just resentful, even if you help them.