Where is the compassion here? This is a human problem - not just a taxpayer issue or a tourism issue, and it does not have to be a politicised issue, unless that is the only way you can understand it.
Two weeks out of every year I volunteer in whatever city I am in, you name it - soup kitchens, door to door, telephone calls - done that for the last 6 years as I scheduled my own time away for things like this. I know better than anyone that this is only a pittance, but I do believe if enough of us actively did something, more than something if you have the means and the time, maybe much of this continuing problem could be addressed by saving as many as we can from this homeless existence. The person that volunteered their bags of groceries, that random act means a great deal for the desperate person they met. Some say this is the best method because no money is involved: no money for the noble organization to skim for salaries and expenses, no money for some panhandler scam, and no money for a homeless druggie or alcoholic to use to get high, or get drunk. Well there is much to ponder here but there are always several avenues to address homelessness. The lack of shelter comes after food, but it also defines the individual as homeless. Even in heartless Chicago, two well-known architects, Helmut Jahn and Stanley Tigerman, have donated their time to design structures and solicit monies to get the poor off the street. From what I understand, these architects were unaware of each other’s efforts until recently. And then that city has tried to step in and get job training or re-training, and serve in initial placement into the workforce. None of this works as it should, but this is a way of starting to deal with something that could conceivably befall any one of us, or anyone we are related, or have liked, or have known - and seemingly could happen at any time.
I have met people on the streets that are current or former druggies and/or alcoholics - even many of them, the so-called "hopeless" or "abject," once had responsible jobs, maybe careers. Due often to a series of personal misfortunes and/or outright tragedies they have found themselves descending to the streets - at times accompanied by their immediate families - and that fall through an invisible net that was suppose to catch them is a bloody hard one indeed. Yes there are children involved in all this, you may not see them on the streets, but they may be removed from their parent or parents and loosely protected, but no one wants to consider these complications. We would much rather argue about the problems than to personally commit on some visceral level.
I am not advocating placing yourself in danger, just find a way to do something, rather than just complain about it, or wait for someone else to do something about it, or assume your tax money or occasional donations are doing enough already. Make fun of me if you want, but do not make fun of them, don't give up on them. Many will need your compassion to find a way out of their personal hell and become productive again. Being productive must then be used as a bridge tto move on from temporary shelter into more private shelter - this represents a long road for many of them, but one that would benefit not only them, but the rest of us as well.