Does free food keep people on the streets?

I've volunteered with the Simon Community for almost 4 years. It is, I think, the oldest homeless charity in the UK. Having spawned branches all over Ireland - which are now much bigger operations and linked to the London group in name and ethos only these days - it's inevitable that it attracts a number of volunteers from the Irish diaspora in England.

Almost every Thursday night since joining, I've gone out in a van with half a dozen other volunteers, several of whom have become close and trusted friends, stopping at 5 or 6 spots in central London to hand out soup, sandwiches, tea, coffee and sometimes warm clothes.

In my early days as a volunteer, we would see, in all, around 100 people. Now it's closer to 150, and sometimes more, the numbers swollen by recent arrivals from Eastern Europe, many of them unable to communicate at all in English.

Soup runs take a lot of flak - from all corners. One of the main accusations has been that by feeding people, we are convincing them to stay on the streets. I've always found this ludicrous. Good as our soup is, it isn't going to prompt anyone to sleep in a doorway.

But recently, as more and more well-intentioned soup runs appear along our route, I've begun to wonder if we really are helping people. And, more importantly, if we're helping the right people. Last night, I was on the receiving end of a fair bit of unpleasantness from some Eastern Europeans, all of whom have been abusive to me before. This was because I wouldn't give them a second cup of soup each. I don't know if they don't understand that at that stage in the evening we have another three stops, and maybe as many as 70 people, to go. Or if they just don't care. And certainly the most offensive of them didn't want any soup at all - he appeared just to want to have a go. I left the soup run and came home early - something I've never done before.

So now I find myself wondering whether we're doing the right thing. I suspect that more vulnerable people are staying away because of the changed atmosphere around the soup run. And should we be able to refuse to feed someone who is abusive but hungry? Or is feeding someone like this simply sending out the message that this behaviour is acceptable?