Not since I was told by a shop owner that the resident beggar in the High Street got dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon by car - he was apparently from an out-of-town "caravan site".
Before that, I would give cash, but it very much depended on who was doing the asking. Older down-and-outs yes, younger druggie types no. Just my personal stance - lot of crazyies on the streets of Brum, so needed to be careful ....