Why Do Homeless People Have Money for Cigarettes?

Homelessness abounds where I live. People living on the street is a sad sight. When the weather is bad, the suffering they must be going through is almost too much to think about. I've seen homeless women with small children in tow. You'd have to be pretty cold hearted not to feel for those kids.

But I also see a strange phenomenon that I just don't understand. Most homeless people I see are smoking. And they're not smoking cigarette butts that they've picked up off the ground. These are whole cigarettes. What's up with that? A pack of cigarettes where I live is about $6. I know people who aren't homeless who have quit smoking because it's just too expensive. So where in the world are homeless people getting the money from? It makes me think twice before giving them money.

I see people living on the streets with all their worldly possessions in a shopping cart, clothes tattered, skin dirty, yet they are smoking cigarettes! I've had homeless people walk up to me in parking lots and ask for money, while smoking cigarettes. I see people standing on street corners holding up signs asking for money, smoking cigarettes. Sometimes their signs say they will work for food. My thinking is if they don't have money for food, why do they have money for cigarettes? This is alarming to me. Is it alarming to anyone else? It makes me wonder what else they're buying with the money I give them.

If I hand money to a person in need, a person living on the street, I assume this money will go towards some kind of living essential, like food. If I see a mother begging for money with children around her, I expect any money she gets to benefit those children. But when I see so many homeless people smoking, it kind of makes me mad. Why should I give them my hard-earned money so they can buy cigarettes? Now I understand that not every homeless person will buy cigarettes when someone gives them money. But I can't tell which ones will and which ones won't, which leaves me pondering the dilemma of not giving at all. I know the homeless are down and out on their luck and maybe they enjoy smoking or it gives them some relief from their horrible situation, but I really don't want to make monetary contributions to that end.

I'm not trying to offend anyone. I hope someone can shed some light on this subject to put it in a perspective that makes some sense. I will continue to give to charities for the needy where the money is being used in more appropriate ways. But I believe my days of giving money to smoking homeless people are coming to an end.