This poem is beautiful and so heartbreaking. Even if it doesn't make you a saint that you had that conversation, it does mean that you're a more compassionate human than 95% of the people around us, who either ignore or treat the homeless as pariahs. From that poem it's clear that it had a very strong impact on you.
Second all of the above!!
Most of the times I do ignore the homeless, too. I once in a while give a smile, money or some food when I leave the groceries. Rarely I talk to them a little when I am in the right mood and feel strong enough. I see other people doing that, too. For the most part, I think, that the majority feels sorry for them. It may sound harsh but the homeless serve as a mirror to me. What they express (numbing through alcohol or other drugs), not wanting to fit in, not caring for their bodies, is a more powerful expression of which the not homeless practice as well. "Only" not in that strength but still. ...
Not being able to care for a home is also something I conclude when seeing a homeless.