There is a tendency among certain libertarians (and among critics of libertarianism) to question how some problem they believe is currently being alleviated by the state would be dealt with in a free society. What they typically fail to comprehend is that the vast majority of problems which the state pretends to mitigate are actually caused primarily if not entirely by the state and its intrusions into the market.
Poverty is a perfect example, as it exists predominantly because of the state. Taxation, regulation, and inflation account for the majority of it—to say nothing of the myriad mandates and countless prohibitions which inhibit mutually beneficial transactions. Moreover, those who would offer greater charitable assistance in a free society simply cannot do so now because they too are victims of the state’s voracious appetite. Abolish the state and you attack the problem from both ends; most poverty will vanish on its own, and what little remains will be easily dealt with by a flourishing private sector.