Last week at Wise & Shine, I shared my recent encounter with a homeless man and how I gave him money. This sparked some commenters to mention that they’re opposed to giving money because the recipient might spend it on drugs instead of the food or clothing it was intended for.

This is a common sentiment, but is it a helpful one?

I think the most important thing we can do to aid those on the street is to keep them alive. Everything else has to be secondary to that. As a result, my views on the subject have evolved from where I was a few years ago. Obviously, funding somebody’s drug addiction is not what we have in mind when we’re trying to help them, but maybe it’s not as bad as it seems on the surface.

Click here to read this week’s follow-up post on Wise & Shine and for my thoughts on the drug aspect of homelessness.

Read the original post, The Man At The Fountain, here.

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