Pope Francis is welcome to have his opinion. He also comes from a place with a VERY different socio economic situation. South America has areas of true poverty, where beggars are begging to stay alive. Pope Francis’ views are formed by his life in South America.
The interesting thing is Jesus walked the earth in a time and place where there were true beggars. People who would starve if not for the largess of others. Jesus gave us a parable that that helps us know how to respond to these situations.
Sit down and read the parable of the Good Samaritan. Notice that the Good Samaritan does not hand the other man a bag of coins. The Good Samaritan helps the man get to a facility where they can care for him and treat his wounds. The GS gives a donation to that facility and says “let me know if you need another donation”.
Even small towns have charities or with the internet those in outlying places can be in contact with places where trained folks can treat and care for those in need.
In the USA and Canada (and some European countries), there are people who have less, people who struggle, but we do not have true beggars. We have panhandlers who may be non-compliant with their mental illness treatment, are addicts or criminals or some combo of the three. There is a safety net provided by federal, state programs + local non-profits/charitable outreaches.
For someone who is vulnerable, particularly with children in the home, it is important to model Christ like behavior with prudence. Don’t slam the door, ask what is the specific need. Does she work or is she unemployed? Single or does she have a partner/kids? Tell her you will find someplace that can help her and to come back on Tuesday. Then, give her a list of the agencies. Offer to call and pay for a cab to take her to that facility if you can. Give her a sandwich if you feel she is hungry, heck, have a bag of non perishable food for her and some cookies and maybe some necessities like toilet paper or maxi pads. Thing is, you do not know for sure that she is not “casing the place”, so, be prudent for the sake of your kids while being a Good Samaritain. There are ways to help those who want to be helped.
If she does not want the help from people who are trained to help, then, tell her that is all you can do or tell her you will give her food and a go cup of coffee, sit on the porch and drink it with her.
You can be wise, be truly generous while not enabling.