I don't give money directly to panhandlers, as the only one I ever see around home is about as homeless as I am. We do, however, give to the church, and our church supports a mission for the homeless that is taking root in our area. They advocate for the homeless, find them places to live, and work with other charities to get them jobs and treatment for whatever problems they might have.

The truly homeless around Central NY are fairly invisible. People were complaining about the homeless living by the river in downtown Binghamton, so the city council passed a law banning anyone from being by the river at night.