It’s not so much people being worried about wasting it, as much as they’re worried about paying someone to continue fueling spirals of addiction. People can be homeless due to any number of different factors, so I hate to assume someone’s circumstances, but it’s impossible to know when giving cash is helping or making things worse.

My place of work is a nonprofit that coordinates with a variety of local social services, so I donate to those causes each year instead and help others connect to the resources they offer when I can.