Source: Unsplash/Tom Parsons

Top 10+ ways to help the homeless as winter approaches

There are plenty of other ways to help the homeless besides handing over cash; from spreading awareness to simply showing compassion. BrightVibes rounds up some of the best suggestions on the internet.

How to go about effectively helping the homeless

If you are one of the fortunate, the world of a homeless person is utterly alien to you. For any of us, the loss of a job, the illness or death of a spouse or a child, or a severe physical disability could be the route to total despair. Many people living on the streets today were simply struck by a personal tragedy and lacked a support system to get help when they needed it. These people still need help, and you can be there for them right now. By giving of your time, money, services or skills, you can make the difference in the life of a homeless person. Sometimes the smallest actions can have the biggest impact. Resources: TreeHugger, wikiHow, JustGive.org, YouGiveGoods.com, MiniMoneyBlog.

    There are myriad reasons why a person becomes homeless — lack of affordable housing, loss of a job, divorce, illness, substance abuse, domestic abuse, et cetera. One of the first steps you can take toward helping the homeless is trying to understand how they got there in the first place.
    1. Educate Yourself There are myriad reasons why a person becomes homeless — lack of affordable housing, loss of a job, divorce, illness, substance abuse, domestic abuse, et cetera. One of the first steps you can take toward helping the homeless is trying to understand how they got there in the first place. Source: Unsplash/Ben Hershey
    Don't treat a homeless person as if she were invisible. Say,
    2. Show Some Respect. Don’t treat a homeless person as if she were invisible. Say, “good morning,” when you pass or strike up a conversation on a park bench. Many people experiencing homelessness say that the loss of dignity that accompanies their situation is harder to bear than the actual loss of physical things. Source: Unsplash/Zac Durant
    Clothing is a big one here, as are shoes and food. Non-perishable items are always in short supply at food pantries and homeless shelters. Other items that might be needed include blankets, coats, books and small kitchen items, such as cups and utensils. If you are donating to a homeless shelter or another organization that helps the homeless, consider donating office supplies, electronics, appliances, phone cards or other items that might help those who help the homeless. If you see someone who is homeless in winter, offer blankets, food or tarps (if you can't convince them to go to a shelter).
    3. Donate needed items. Clothing is a big one here, as are shoes and food. Non-perishable items are always in short supply at food pantries and homeless shelters. Other items that might be needed include blankets, coats, books and small kitchen items, such as cups and utensils. If you are donating to a homeless shelter or another organization that helps the homeless, consider donating office supplies, electronics, appliances, phone cards or other items that might help those who help the homeless. If you see someone who is homeless in winter, offer blankets, food or tarps (if you can’t convince them to go to a shelter). Source: Unsplash/Ev
    Sign up to work an evening shift at your local homeless shelter. Answer phones, sort mail, serve food, wash dishes, distribute clothes, babysit kids, clean floors, fix a leaky toilet. Find out what they need and how you can help.
    4. Volunteer Sign up to work an evening shift at your local homeless shelter. Answer phones, sort mail, serve food, wash dishes, distribute clothes, babysit kids, clean floors, fix a leaky toilet. Find out what they need and how you can help. Source: Unsplash/Jonathan Kho
    Put your skills to good use by sharing them with the homeless. Organize classes through your local shelter to teach typing, accounting, plumbing, carpentry, child care, nutrition or even a new language. Those skills can help a homeless person find work and maybe even a better life.
    5. Teach Put your skills to good use by sharing them with the homeless. Organize classes through your local shelter to teach typing, accounting, plumbing, carpentry, child care, nutrition or even a new language. Those skills can help a homeless person find work and maybe even a better life. Source: Unsplash/Jon Tyson
    Invite a homeless person to your place of worship or a local community event. Organize an outing to take homeless kids to the movies or an ice skating rink. Offer moral support when you can.
    6. Reach Out Invite a homeless person to your place of worship or a local community event. Organize an outing to take homeless kids to the movies or an ice skating rink. Offer moral support when you can. Source: Unsplash/Tom Parsons
    Encourage your place of worship or community center to hire a homeless person to paint, clean, type, answer phones or any other work that might fit. Many homeless people want to work but can't find regular employment.
    7. Seek Out Job Opportunities Encourage your place of worship or community center to hire a homeless person to paint, clean, type, answer phones or any other work that might fit. Many homeless people want to work but can’t find regular employment. Source: Unsplash/Nick Fewings
    Use your smartphone or other gadget to help the homeless. In San Francisco, download the app HandUp to read the stories of homeless people in your area and donate directly to those in need. In New York, the WeShelter app can help you learn how to get involved. And in Atlanta, every post you upload on the Luv4wrd app equals a coat, blanket or pair of gloves to someone living on the streets. Live somewhere else? Use a Google search to find a homeless app to help the people in your community.
    8. Take advantage of tech Use your smartphone or other gadget to help the homeless. In San Francisco, download the app HandUp to read the stories of homeless people in your area and donate directly to those in need. In New York, the WeShelter app can help you learn how to get involved. And in Atlanta, every post you upload on the Luv4wrd app equals a coat, blanket or pair of gloves to someone living on the streets. Live somewhere else? Use a Google search to find a homeless app to help the people in your community. Source: Unsplash/Jon Tyson
    Call your local homeless shelters to find out what items are needed, then contact your local scout troops or civic organisations to organise food drives or other fundraising events to pull those items together. Follow local politics and speak up at town council meetings on issues of homelessness and programs for the homeless. Write editorial letters to your local newspaper about the issue of homelessness in your community and what people can do to help.
    9. Become an Advocate for the Homeless Call your local homeless shelters to find out what items are needed, then contact your local scout troops or civic organisations to organise food drives or other fundraising events to pull those items together. Follow local politics and speak up at town council meetings on issues of homelessness and programs for the homeless. Write editorial letters to your local newspaper about the issue of homelessness in your community and what people can do to help. Source: Unsplash/Dimi Katsavaris
    The easiest way to help the homeless is to donate your money to a nonprofit whose mission is to serve the homeless. This ensures that social workers and professionals who best understand how to help the homeless will have the resources necessary to do their important work. Consider leaving a donation to an organization that supports the homeless in your will.[1] You can also donate to local churches, temples, mosques, and other religious institutions that offer help to the homeless.
    10. Donate money. The easiest way to help the homeless is to donate your money to a nonprofit whose mission is to serve the homeless. This ensures that social workers and professionals who best understand how to help the homeless will have the resources necessary to do their important work.
    Consider leaving a donation to an organization that supports the homeless in your will.[1]
    You can also donate to local churches, temples, mosques, and other religious institutions that offer help to the homeless. Source: Unsplash/Mihály Köles
    “I looked more closely and realized this was actually a person sleeping on the street in a sheet. I was reminded of how often the poor and vulnerable in our cities are invisible, and how I saw the Vespa before i saw humanity. May we all grow in the ability to see, and a deep compassion for others.” — Jon Tyson, photographer and Unsplash Contributor.
    “I was in SF for a trip, and walking back from a coffee shop when I saw something that looked like a trash bag next to a scooter.” “I looked more closely and realized this was actually a person sleeping on the street in a sheet. I was reminded of how often the poor and vulnerable in our cities are invisible, and how I saw the Vespa before i saw humanity. May we all grow in the ability to see, and a deep compassion for others.” — Jon Tyson, photographer and Unsplash Contributor. Source: Unsplash/Jon Tyson
    Homeless children often have few possessions of any kind, and may not have any toys at all. For adults, you might want to donate books, magazines, or other reading materials. Donating toys is an especially good idea around the holidays, when homeless kids often have few gifts to look forward to.
    In addition to practical items like clothes and hygiene products, you might want to provide toys for the children of homeless families. Homeless children often have few possessions of any kind, and may not have any toys at all. For adults, you might want to donate books, magazines, or other reading materials. Donating toys is an especially good idea around the holidays, when homeless kids often have few gifts to look forward to. Source: Unsplash/Joel Muniz
    Ten ways how to help the homeless didn’t seem like enough, so below are another 30 more. Source: Unsplash/Joel Muniz

    Another 30 solid suggestions of how to help the homeless from justgive.org

    11. Understand who the homeless are – Help dispel the stereotypes about the homeless. Learn about the different reasons for homelessness, and remember, every situation is unique. One of the first steps in helping people is to see them as individuals and to find out what they need. Notice them; talk to them. Most are starved for attention.

    12. Educate yourself about the homeless – Learn about the long-term solutions for ending homelessness.
    13. Respect the homeless as individuals – Give the homeless people the same courtesy and respect you would accord your friends, your family, your employer. Treat them as you would wish to be treated if you needed assistance.
    14. Respond with kindness – We can make quite a difference in the lives of the homeless when we respond to them, rather than ignore or dismiss them. Try a kind word and a smile.
    15. Develop lists of shelters – Carry a card that lists local shelters so you can hand them out to the homeless. You can find shelters in your phone book.
    16. Bring food – It’s as simple as taking a few extra sandwiches when you go out. When you pass someone who asks for change, offer him or her something to eat. If you take a lunch, pack a little extra. When you eat at a restaurant, order something to take with you when you leave.
    17. Give recyclables – In localities where there is a “bottle law,” collecting recyclable cans and bottles is often the only “job” available to the homeless. But it is an honest job that requires initiative. You can help by saving your recyclable bottles, cans, and newspapers and giving them to the homeless instead of taking them to a recycling center or leaving them out for collection. If you live in a larger city, you may wish to leave your recyclables outside for the homeless to pick up — or give a bagful of cans to a homeless person in your neighborhood.
    18. Donate clothing – Next time you do your spring or fall cleaning, keep an eye out for those clothes that you no longer wear. If these items are in good shape, gather them together and donate them to organizations that provide housing for the homeless.
    19. Donate a bag of groceries – Load up a bag full of nonperishable groceries, and donate it to a food drive in your area. If your community doesn’t have a food drive, organise one. Contact your local soup kitchens, shelters, and homeless societies and ask what kind of food donations they would like.
    20. Volunteer at a shelter – Shelters thrive on the work of volunteers, from those who sign people in, to those who serve meals, to others who counsel the homeless on where to get social services. For the homeless, a shelter can be as little as a place to sleep out of the rain or as much as a step forward to self-sufficiency.
    21. Volunteer at a soup kitchen – Soup kitchens provide one of the basics of life, nourishing meals for the homeless and other disadvantaged members of the community. Volunteers generally do much of the work, including picking up donations of food, preparing meals, serving it, and cleaning up afterward. To volunteer your services, contact you local soup kitchen, mobile food program, shelter, or religious center.
    22. Volunteer your professional services – No matter what you do for a living, you can help the homeless with your on-the-job talents and skills. Those with clerical skills can train those with little skills. Doctors, psychiatrists, counselors, and dentists can treat the homeless in clinics. Lawyers can help with legal concerns. The homeless’ needs are many — your time and talent won’t be wasted.
    23. Volunteer your hobbies – Every one of us has something we can give the homeless. Wherever our interests may lie — cooking, repairing, gardening, and photography — we can use them for the homeless. Through our hobbies, we can teach them useful skills, introduce them to new avocations and perhaps point them in a new direction.
    24. Volunteer for follow-up programs – Some homeless people, particularly those who have been on the street for a while, may need help with fundamental tasks such as paying bills, balancing a household budget, or cleaning. Follow-up programs to give the formerly homeless further advice, counseling, and other services need volunteers.
    25. Tutor homeless children – A tutor can make all the difference. Just having adult attention can spur children to do their best. Many programs exist in shelters, transitional housing programs, and schools that require interested volunteers. Or begin you own tutor volunteer corps at your local shelter. It takes nothing more than a little time.
    26. Take homeless children on trips – Frequently, the only environment a homeless child knows is that of the street, shelters, or other transitory housing. Outside of school — if they attend — these children have little exposure to many of the simple pleasures that most kids have. Volunteer at your local family shelter to take children skating or to an aquarium on the weekend.
    27. Volunteer at battered women’s shelter – Most battered women are involved in relationships with abusive husbands or other family members. Lacking resources and afraid of being found by their abusers, many may have no recourse other than a shelter or life on the streets once they leave home. Volunteers handle shelter hotlines, pick up abused women and their children when they call, keep house, and offer counseling. Call your local shelter for battered women to see how you can help.
    28. Teach about the homeless – If you do volunteer work with the homeless, you can become an enthusiast and extend your enthusiasm to others. You can infect others with your own sense of devotion by writing letters to the editor of your local paper and by pressing housing issues at election time.
    29. Publish shelter information – Despite all of our efforts to spread the word about shelters, it is surprising how many people are unaware of their own local shelters. Contact your local newspapers, church or synagogue bulletins, or civic group’s newsletters about the possibility of running a weekly or monthly listing of area services available to the homeless. This could include each organisation’s particular needs for volunteers, food, and other donations.
    30. Educate your children about the homeless – Help your children to see the homeless as people. If you do volunteer work, take your sons and daughters along so they can meet with homeless people and see what can be done to help them. Volunteer as a family in a soup kitchen or shelter. Suggest that they sort through the toys, books, and clothes they no longer use and donate them to organisations that assist the poor.
    31. Sign up your company/school – Ask your company or school to host fund-raising events, such as raffles or craft sales and donate the proceeds to nonprofit organisations that aid the homeless. You can also ask your company or school to match whatever funds you and your co-workers or friends can raise to help the homeless.
    32. Recruit local business – One of the easiest ways to involve local businesses is to organise food and/or clothing drives. Contact local organisations to find out what is needed, approach local grocery or clothing shops about setting up containers on their premises in which people can drop off donations, ask local businesses to donate goods to the drive, and publicise the drive by placing announcements in local papers and on community bulletin boards and by posting signs and posters around your neighbourhood.
    33. Create lists of needed donations – Call all the organisations in your community that aid the homeless and ask them what supplies they need on a regular basis. Make a list for each organisation, along with its address, telephone number, and the name of a contact person. Then mail these lists to community organisations that may wish to help with donations — every place from religious centres to children’s organisations such as Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.
    34. Play with children in a shelter – Many children in shelters are cut off from others their own age. Shuffled from place to place, sometimes these kids don’t attend school on a regular basis, and have no contact with other kids. Bring a little joy to their lives by taking your children to a local shelter to play. Plan activities such as coloring, playing with dolls, or building model cars (take along whatever toys you’ll need). Your own children will benefit too.
    35. Employ the homeless – Help Wanted – General Office Work. Welfare recipient, parolee, ex-addict OK. Good salary, benefits. Will train. That’s the way Wildcat Service Corporations Supported Work Program invites the “unemployable” to learn to work and the program works! More than half the people who sign on find permanent, well-paying jobs, often in maintenance, construction, clerical, or security work.
    36. Help the homeless apply for aid – Governmental aid is available for homeless people, but many may not know where to find it or how to apply. Since they don’t have a mailing address, governmental agencies may not be able to reach them. You can help by directing the homeless to intermediaries, such as homeless organisations, that let them know what aid is available and help them to apply for it. If you want to be an advocate or intermediary for the homeless yourself, you can contact these organisations as well.
    37. Stand up for the civil rights of the homeless – In recent elections, for example, volunteers at shelters and elsewhere helped homeless people register to vote . . . even though they had “no fixed address” at the moment. Some officials would not permit citizens without a permanent address to vote.
    38. Form a transitional housing program – One of the most potent homeless-prevention services a community can offer residents who are in danger of eviction is a transitional housing program. These programs help people hang on to their current residences or assist them in finding more affordable ones. The methods include steering people to appropriate social service and community agencies, helping them move out of shelters, and providing funds for rent, mortgage payments, and utilities.
    39. Write to corporations – (Some of the largest corporations in America have joined the battle for low-income housing). Through the use of the tax credit or by outright grants, they are participating with federal and state government, not-for-profit and community-based groups to build desperately needed housing in Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and dozens of other cities. Contact various organisations and ask them what they are doing.
    40. Contact your government representatives – Legislators and MPs rarely receive more than three visits or ten letters about any subject. When the numbers exceed that amount, they sit up and take note. Personal visits are the most potent. Letters are next; telephone calls are third best. Housing issues don’t come up that often, so your public officials will listen.
    Source: JustGive.org

    “Even if someone is scamming you, at least you helped them. Honestly, if they are at a point in their life where they feel like they need to beg for money, then they are at a point where they need the help, even if they are trying to scam you.”
    ‘But, What if They are Just Scamming You?’ — MiniMoneyBlog addresses it thus: “Even if someone is scamming you, at least you helped them. Honestly, if they are at a point in their life where they feel like they need to beg for money, then they are at a point where they need the help, even if they are trying to scam you.” Source: Unsplash/Cameron Venti

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