Tampa has rules about panhandling. I don’t keep up with them. However, there is a local newspaper being sold to help out would be panhandlers as they sell the paper instead of just getting cash for nothing. Warm climate makes it easier for people to move here and live on the streets with no resources.
There will always be homeless mentally ill people. Families can’t always prevent their loved one from this. They can offer a place to live but it is rejected. Some refuse to take medications that will help them. The alternative is to lock up people who refuse to conform which takes way their rights.
When we were vacationing in Seattle over a year ago My H had a half sandwich he hadn’t touched and was taking back to our hotel. A woman asked for money for “food” but refused the free sandwich- we did not give any. Later a talked with a convenience store clerk near the hotel and he said those people want money for cigarettes and booze- a common problem in the area.
Decades ago while a poor medical student I used to stand in line at a poor area chain grocery store and watch people buying brand name soda and other more expensive options while using food stamps. I internally cringed at how they could have stretched their money much further. I was eating the cheap stuff- not always foods I really liked. But I knew I had a future.
Social services can try but not all are willing to receive services. Mental illness treatment doesn’t always get utilized by patient choice. Some do not want to work and refuse opportunities. Occasionally there will be a feature story about people. One family of four where they refused jobs et al, sigh. Then there are those who try but do fail.