Here in the US we have "foodstamps" so that folks don't have to go hungry. (Though these days, it's on a debit card instead of an actual, "stamp"... still, the charity money can only be spent on groceries, not fast food or dining out)... and we also have many charitable "food pantries" where the down and out can go to pick up free food directly.
Perhaps something similar could be worked out for the other necessities... for instance, instead of receiving cash, recipients receive vouchers that require landlords and utility providers to bill a government agency in order to collect their payments. I don't know about you down there, but we already have such assistance for housing, if a person qualifies.
Cash for drugs, alcohol and cigarettes is probably not a good idea. These things are bad for the health and the poor are usually already on public health assistance. We should all strive to keep those costs down.
If such programs were in place then all could be assured that if they saw one of the poor dining out, for example, the money that they were spending came from doing odd jobs, panhandling, or some other form of gift and NOT from the pocket of the taxpayer.
