There is one for addiction issues. Maybe it's more generally applicable, but it goes like this:
They are an addict, and somehow, each day, they are going to get whatever it is. And they are going to do it, because they have to do it.
And for some of these people who are homeless, they are going to do what they do, because they feel they have to do it...
In any case, getting that thing, whatever it is, can go the easy way, or the hard way. They could be giving blows in an alley, or pay with some money they got on the streets from kind people, or due to the property crime.
We can't make people do anything. Not really. They, themselves have got to resolve to improve, or do things differently, or they simply won't. We can put incentives out there, punishments, and all sorts of things, but in the end, they really do have to resolve to do things differently, or it really won't happen.
Every year, a few of these people get there. One day, they see something, experience something that brings that resolution about! And with that comes motivation, and with that motivation comes the doing of things differently.
Nobody but them knows when this is, and often they don't even know when this is.
And until they get there, it's the easy way, or the hard way.
If we look at the cost of this, those costs can be low, average, or high, depending on how often it's the easy way or the hard way.
And when they get there, how much potential remains? That too is determined by the easy way and the hard way.
So when we give, we are helping to pay down those costs. It's up to them to get there, and when they do, they will appreciate all of us who helped get them there at a much lower cost and risk to themselves as beings, and they will be capable of that much more too.
One of us, who gives that dollar, thinking they will just go buy another beer, will be that person who gave the dollar that got them there. They don't buy a beer, instead a razor, clean up and improve from there.
We can't make their choices for them, but we can continue to present the option of doing things differently, and that happens one gift, one less hard way at a time.
In general, we are helping out. And the help is in the form of harm reduction to preserve their options, health, and buy them time during their struggle.
If you think about it, real help, selfless type help, not controlling help that comes with strings and such, is a gift. It's a gift with the best of intent, and in this world intent is what matters.
When your intent is to help, you are doing the right thing --and it's the right thing even when it doesn't appear to have done much, or the bad outcome seems your doing.
It's not, and it can't be, because we can't make their choices. Only they can.
And if we don't give that help, so many more of them won't ever get there at all.
It's nothing to most of us. Every so often, it's all that ever did matter to them.