What a lovely idea, just goes to show that homelessness is not all down to drink and drugs as people believe. I know as had some wonderful conversations with homless people myself and very easy thru no fault of your own to get into such a situation.
Two out of the five cards did have a substantial percentage of the balance spent on alcohol. LCBO stands for "Liquor Control Board of Ontario". According to Wikipedia, "LCBO stores are generally the only stores allowed to sell distilled spirits in Ontario." [1]
Agree that it's a really nice idea. It's amazing to see how each person reacted. It's so sad to see that not everyone is on the streets cos of drink and drugs.
This is a great way to test the assumptions many people make about the homeless. I can imagine this being the start of an awesome non-profit. Donate to the homeless with transparency with what they do with your money. The service could also report on the population as a whole and segment by interesting factors to look for ways to maximize the impact of the money given.
There was recently an article on HN [1] that explained how Tide laundry detergent had become a form of money in some U.S. cities. It can be bought with welfare checks and exchanged for drugs.
