[gatlin]

An idea I'm going to start doing now that I have savings and an inclination to share my fortune:

1. Donate to a local food bank / soup kitchen / church, etc which serves the homeless.

2. Hand out cards to beggars with the street address of the locations you've donated to, and tell them you already bought them a meal.

Elsewhere in the thread, potatolicious points out that mental illness (anecdotally) is a big factor in homelessness. I am fortunate enough to not have any visible or debilitating illnesses and I had some great advantages in life (globally-speaking).

It's tough walking a fine line between condescension and genuine sympathy. But that's kind of a first world problem, isn't it?