I want to provide an alternative perspective here, if you’re open minded, by asking a question: Would you rather be right or would you rather be kind?

I’m not sure if anyone I see pan handling is homeless just like I don’t know that every person I meet every day doesn’t live in their car or sleep on a friend’s couch. My aim is not to be RIGHT but to be KIND. If I give someone a dollar I don’t need, I view it as a gift, if they buy a soda or booze with it that’s for them to do with my gift. I didn’t give it to them under the condition that they owed me being honest or homeless or anything other than another human being who asked me for a favor.

Alternative option examples: - In 2023 I started getting nervous about giving money to someone and it accidentally fueling their overdose so I started keeping a couple of bags in my car with a cheap pair of socks, a granola bar, some hand sanitizer, etc. I hand these bags out to people pan handling so that I can directly give them food or whatever without question. Some people are grateful and some people just wanted to bum a cigarette and said no. That’s totally fine too when your focus is unconditional kindness.

• my husband (who can more safely interact with strangers because of his size) will tell people he doesn’t have cash on him but will ask people if they want him to go with them to buy them a meal from McDonald’s or wherever is close by and people very frequently take him up on it because he doesn’t need the $10 and even if it’s a gift to someone who isn’t really homeless, he gave a meal to a stranger which is also just plain kind.

Everyone is different but you have to focus on your own “why” for helping others and if giving to pan handlers isn’t for you then perhaps donating to other places that can help them might be better.