I take the same route home from work every day. At the freeway offramp near my home, there is always someone standing there holding a sign telling of his tale of woe. There are 4 men doing this, they rotate days at that spot. None of them look to be as old as 30, and they don't have the haggard look you would expect of a bum.
I don't carry cash, so I don't give them money, but it is a long light, and I would guess about 1 out of 5 people in line on average give from what I have seen, always folding money.
During peak hours morning and afternoon, several hundred to a thousand cars go by this light. If say 100 people in that span each gave $1, that's not bad money for a couple hours of "work".
They guy who seems to get the most money has the best sign. It says "Why Lie? I need beer!"