Helping or enabling?

You can see it coming a half-block away.

A panhandler spots a woman on Main Street in Salt Lake City coming toward him. As he turns to ask her for money, the woman clutches her handbag, stares at the ground and mutters, "No, thank you." Not skipping a beat, the panhandler hits up a man in a shirt and tie, who gives him a couple of bills. "Thank you, and God bless," he's told.

Few things create such a sudden conflict of emotion, ethics and religious belief as the issue of giving money to those who claim hardship on the street.

Is it right to give money to people on the street? Does it do them any good? What if they end up using the money to buy drugs or alcohol?

Homeless advocates, and one local ethics expert, say it all boils down to a person's judgment and faith that the money will help, not hinder.

Pamela Atkinson has been an advocate for the homeless in Salt Lake City for years, taking their cause from the state Capitol to the various homeless camps and shelters in the valley.

"I think everybody has to make their own decision," Atkinson said. "But my concern is that many of the panhandlers are professionals. I would say 70-plus percent are people who actually are not living on the street; it's actually that high."

Often times, many people who beg on the street do not show up at the local shelters. "They're panhandling for drugs," she said, which is a shame for those truly homeless looking for legitimate help.

"I'm not in a position to dissuade anyone to make a contribution," said Matthew Minkevitch, executive director of The Road Home shelter in Salt Lake City. "But if people think they can restrict what is done with the money, they might be disappointed."

Minkevitch said the thought does cross his mind whether someone will use the money he gives for drugs or alcohol.

"There are some people who will always give to anybody, and I respect that," Atkinson said. Many feel that their religion calls for them to help those less fortunate. "What they do with the money is their own business," she said, adding some Christian faiths dictate that what a person does with the money is between him and God.

Panhandlers are generally left alone by police, as long as they remain passive and do not harass pedestrians, Atkinson said.