I used to always give homeless people money when they asked (if I had any), but a few years back a new kind of job popped up. I don't know if it's everywhere, but in Southern California businesses now hire people to stand on the corner holding a big sign advertising their business. They don't seem to care about appearances either. After that, I found I couldn't give someone money because they claimed they couldn't work, but in actuality were doing the exact same thing by standing on the corner holding a sign. I haven't bothered to explain this to any of them, I just stopped giving. I know the truth is that they make considerably more money playing the sympathy game rather than with honest work, I've even considered going "undercover" to see exactly how much they make in a day, then give it to charity, but I never got the nerve...