Say you have a chronically ill panhandler that you want to help get back on his feet and into normal society. Where would you start? Are there agencies that will take on a street person’s case if you call them?
It will really depend on the local government and nonprofits. One place to start would be United Way’s 211 service, to see what’s available in your area.
The Salvation Army
I have worked with various soup kitchens, agencies and missions and I have never seen any organization work as well as the Salvation Army. They do make you sit through their “religious lectures” but I have seen countless people actually IMPROVE their lives and get back on their feet.
If you don’t want to use them for whatever reason, I’d advise to at least ask their guidance for handling the situation.
They do good work
I probably shouldn’t interject comic relief so early in the thread, but this just so reminds me of a song we used to sing in cubscouts:
Salvation… Aaarrrrrmmy
Salvation… Aaarrrrrmmy
Put a nickle in the drum
Save another drunken bum
Salvation… Aaarrrrrmmy
Salvation… Aaarrrrrmmy
Put a nickle in the drum
and you’ll be “saved”!
(quotes added to highlight “religious lectures”)