I work at a church.
We would not give out cash, simply because we get people asking regularly. If you give to one, it very quickly becomes known.
One of our volunteers gave some of their cash one morning to someone who "needed just to get to X to visit their dying mum". Next day we had four people, day after we had seven... Getting increasingly aggressive and the original person was back on day three although this time it was their dad...
People aren't honest simply because they've walked into a church. The week before we went into the first lockdown we got through a month's supply of toilet roll in about three days. A church is seen as fair game.
There is often an attitude that the church must give people what they want or it isn't "Christian".
And that goes from everything from not giving cash through to not immediately finding them somewhere to live permanently. People have expected sleeping bags, cars, furniture, speeding fine paid off, dining room table and chairs, go round and redecorate (us providing all the stuff) and much more at the drop of a hat with only their word and no checks done.
If someone comes and asks for prayer it's probably slightly greater than 50% that ask for money by the end.
What we do do is have a list of places that we can refer people to. The church donates directly to them and they help people from everything from food bank through to grants for furniture and heating bills, helping to find accommodation etc.
We did free meals for all last year over half term, we have a basic emergency food bag we can give to tide someone over, we can give a hot drink and occasionally a meal.
We have found second hand furniture, and helped people get school unform.
But we cannot just give out money. And that does often mean we are met with abuse for not just giving out what they want.
What people also don't see is that the church isn't sitting on money. There isn't spare to hand out to all who ask.
It would actually be easier just to hand over cash when someone asks. Gives you a nice glow inside and quick, easy and you don't get abused. But it isn't the best thing to do.
By referring them onto the places that specialise in helping them you are not just sending them to get what they're after if it's appropriate but also the trained knowledge and assistance of the people who run that service. That's better than sending them away with cash, or a hot meal when by tomorrow that will have gone and they'll need more.
I hope that explains a little for you.