It could be that in exchange for the benefit, recipients would do X hours of “community service” work while simultaneously developing skills that could lead to gainful employment. There are always public works needed to be done in every hamlet in the US.
What needs to be dusted off is the old private “CHARITY” concept.
Let’s be so bold as to actually ask for tax CREDIT for anything given to private “CHARITY.” After all the charity can’t do any worse with it than the gummit can. And it would jumpstart it back off the ground like a rocket.