

Giving $50 pre-paid cards to the homeless and tracking purchases - chrisacky
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2010/08/28/how_panhandlers_use_free_credit_cards.html

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Zenst
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.

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greenyoda
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]

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquor_Control_Board_of_Ontari...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquor_Control_Board_of_Ontario)

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darkxanthos
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.

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phamilton
Since money is fungible, I see it fairly easy to game the system. (Spend
actual cash on drugs, buy necessities to trade for cash or drugs, etc )

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greenyoda
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.

[1] <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5023204>

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stevewillows
In Vancouver a restaurant has a token program that seems to be working well.

<http://saveonmeats.ca/sandwich-token-program/>

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omervk
(2010)

