Yes I believe the poor can be trusted. Most of the time you’ll find that these families are using the resources available, such as food assistance to better their quality of life. I think if they had direct payments replacing government assistance programs, this would allow them to better themselves without the strict rules and restrictions of government funded assistance. Alaska has a guaranteed income program, called Permanent Fund Dividend, while this isn’t necessarily directed to the poor people of Alaska it certainly helps families in need. You can read about it here
http://usbig.net/alaskablog/about-the-alaska-dividend/