I think more of African people would understand this better where economy system can be so hard and the people struggles to make living and add values to their lives while those opportuned to breakthrough those hard times are being overweighted to grow higher due to the responsibility surrounding them.
African culture places some responsibility on wealthy family members to take care of those who are less privileged. The society frowns at individualism because the culture promotes communal living. Depending on the age of the dependants you can assist dependants in some ways. Paying for their school fees, supporting them in business, and recommending relevant skills and Investment platforms, are some areas one could help them become financially independent.
Know the person’s weakness and help him encourage to overcome it. Teach him to stand on his own foot and not to rely on other person, and by helping him land on a stable job or a reliable side hustle or investment, you are just giving him opportunity to grow and support himself, without feeding him everything he needs. That way, you did invest yourself onto him but in a productive way.
The problem with some dependants is that they don't want to become independent. They always want to receive assistance from people but they don't put any effort into making money and meeting their needs. A family friend has been given assistance several times for him to take responsibility but he ended up misusing all the funds that was given to him severally to start a business.