[niwell]

I rarely give money, but occasionally I will to some that I recognize on a daily basis or if I happen to have some change in my pocket. It honestly doesn't bother me that most are spending it on booze and if I were homeless I'd probably do the same thing. If there's one thing that irks me it's when people get on their high horse about them not spending the money on food or whatever - as far as I'm concerned once the money has left my hand it's theirs to do with as they please. And despite the extremely rare story of the "rich panhandler" that's a very, very small minority.

I get asked probably at least a dozen times a (week)day in Toronto and usually just say "sorry" and have never really had any issues. Same goes for most American cities, though I was warned to not really engage in New Orleans from a friend living there. In Joburg I found the homeless population largely friendly and occasionally got in longer conversations, usually if I was at a streetside cafe/bar in my area. Sure they were hustling but never seemed to mind if you didn't give cash. In Cape Town I learned quickly that my thumbs up and "sorry man" strategy simply encouraged someone to follow you for blocks harassing you for money - I just started ignoring homeless people in that city afterwards as they were the most aggressive I've seen.