[Heel n Toe]

In the past, I've done everything from giving them some change to walking into a Hardee's and buying them a burger.

But I've usually bought them food so I wasn't enabling a drug or alcohol habit.

Nowadays (especially if I'm with my wife) I'm wary of anyone like that getting close enough to us to do us harm in any way, so without changing my expression, I just hold one hand up just above my waist with my palm facing them and keep walking without saying anything.

I try to have it come off as an "I've had a bad day, don't push me" moment, and it works. Once or twice I've had one say, "Awwwww, man... blah, blah, blah," to my/our back after passing them, but have found that if I glance back over my shoulder and give them a slightly squinty glare and keep walking, that ends it.

The key is not to engage them verbally.

If one got aggressive and came at me/us, there would most likely be a quick throat punch in it for him.