Not you, @Vodkaany1 , but @Wdib78 's comment on mobile phones is ridiculous.
Most people in the UK weren't born homeless, but fell into rough sleeping after their lives blew up. Often it's a breakdown with family, job loss and/or addiction. There are plenty of nice middle class men for example, who get divorced, can't afford to live on their own, and don't get treated as priority by the council because they're single men and supposed to take care of themselves, and they end up on the streets.
Women with kids struggle to get council accommodation as it is, because we have a shortage of housing stock. What do you think happens to all those men who don't get council housing? I can tell you, they don't magically find somewhere else to live.
Once you're on the streets, it becomes very difficult to get yourself off the streets. And some people end up with such poor mental ill health that they struggle to live inside again, given the choice. I've volunteered in shelters before where people have come in for practical support like food and showers, then slept back outside because they're so accustomed to the noise of the city. Fixing homelessness isn't always as simple as giving everyone somewhere to stay.
If you had a handset before you were sleeping rough, why wouldn't you cling on it when you were on the streets? It's hard enough not having a fixed address - can you imagine not being contactable by mobile and email either? If you don't have a phone, you can acquire one via a homeless charity. Getting people off the streets is the ultimate goal. There are lots of hoops to jump through in the meantime, and charities will try their best to provide support in that period, and that can include giving a PAYG handset to a rough sleeper and helping to keep it topped up so they can stay connected.
Depends on the location, but where I am, you can charge your phone on the bus (riding public transport is always a great way of staying warm and safe, and relatively cheap, so that's a bonus) or in shopping centres (again, nice and warm inside, and unlikely to be attacked given the number of people and cameras around).
When it comes to giving money or things to homeless people - sure, some do take the mick. Some aren't even genuine, and are just con artists. It can be difficult to read if the person in front of you is 'real' or not, if you don't have a lot of experience in speaking to rough sleepers. Some people just try their luck. Some are gang members and/or trafficked victims, forced to beg for what they can get. Although many people on the streets are genuine, there are unfortunately some people who take advantage of that by mimicking them and playing on your heartstrings.
If you are prepared to buy something for someone, remember, dignity is important. If you buy a bunch of food and drink and give to a homeless person, they might not be able to eat it. Anyone can be homeless. That can include vegetarians, for example, who would rather be hungry than eat meat. You can still be religious on the streets. You can still have allergies. You can still have a set of values that you refuse to compromise.
Not everyone has a substance abuse problem. But for those who do, it can mess with their tastebuds. A hot drink, for example, might need no sugar in it, or it might need 10 sugars in it to be palatable. If you tell people what you are prepared to do - e.g. offer them a hot drink and/or a sandwich - it's the kind thing to honour the choice within that boundary.
You're not wrong to refuse to do things outside your limits. If you're prepared to buy a soft drink but not a can of beer, you're OK to repeat you can't buy the beer, but they can have whatever soft drink they like. It's not CFery of them to see what they can get (you stopped to talk, how many other people did?) but it's also not wrong of you to reinforce that your kindness has boundaries.
If you're the type of person who ends up followed around a supermarket by a homeless person hoping you'll buy very specific things, I'd suggest you shouldn't be engaging. The last thing you want is to make a homeless person reliant on you, so every time they see you in the streets, they ask you for something you can't give them. Some people with very kind intentions do sometimes inadvertently put themselves at risk, because they find boundaries very difficult when they feel so guilty about being better off.
If you find these conversations too hard to manage, honestly, this isn't a fob off - the best way to support people on the streets is to make sure homeless charities know about them, so they can deliver the practical support instead, with experienced volunteers and staff having those interactions. You can, for example, flag a rough sleeper to Street Link here: www.streetlink.org.uk Give them as much information as you can, and they'll make sure an outreach worker checks up on them.
You can also donate money to homeless charities like Street Link, Shelter and Crisis. Or volunteer your time with one of them. Sometimes, the best way to support someone is to make sure someone with a different skillset to you takes the lead - and you support that person instead, whether financially or with time.
@Vodkaany1 , I'm sorry this interaction has left you feeling unsure if you did the right thing, and uncertain about how to handle yourself next time. But you know you meant well, so take comfort in your instincts for kindness, and don't feel obliged to stop next time if it doesn't feel right. Instead, report the location to Street Link and bob the charity the few quid you'd have been prepared to spend on a sandwich. You can feel more certain you've helped that way, without wondering if you've helped a genuine person, and without feeling personally unsafe.