What kind of a smug, thick skinned, self righteous ****** would you become if you had the ability to help out and didn't make an attempt to do so?
The hard part is being sure that the help you want to give is that which is needed. It's a crapshoot any way you look at it. She may have been an innocent child at one point, but an ugly or dangerous personality disorder can be set in stone by late teens, depending on the egregiousness of the abuse or neglect that occurred earlier in life, and years of professional help and professional structure may be the
least that is needed. To take one into your home who might be, eg, a pure antisocial, or a reactive attachment disorder, let alone a full-blown addict, does indeed invite disaster, and it might be an OK risk to take if there's a ton of money AND sufficient 'controls', but your first responsibility is to your family and your family's welfare.
If she was an addict, you know where your money would have gone, and perversely, you would have been contributing to leading her further down a nasty road.
If she's psychotic, you might suddenly find yourself on the business end of a knife.
At worst, she's a willing part of a scam, in which one might take this child home, only to find that her gang lays in wait in the next alley, or has followed behind, putting your home in grave danger.
Your money might be better spent in buying her a hoagie or clothes, and handing that over, along with a note about available social services, or contributing your money to those social services.
