Realistically, is there any way to really help a homeless person?

Don’t go all pc on me: homebound or whatever the trend is now. My heart and question are in the right place: I am asking as someone who does give them money, does buy them a meal – and actually does think about them in the winter – where they are more likely to simply die in the streets from the cold.

But what can be done, realistically? Does anyone have a true success story?