What should be done for the addicts that end up in the street?

[mdmc]

This is a question for liberals.

What should be done for the homeless and hungry? As a liberal, I think that they should be housed and fed. I reach this conclusion through empathy and compassion.

Now what about those that end up homeless and hungry due to gambling, drugs, or alcohol?

We shouldn't enable them, nor should we turn our backs to them. We shouldn't force treatment on them, or should we.

I wonder what you here at DU think; What is the best way to help someone that is down and out? What would a good liberal do when s/he realizes that someone they know is down and out?