How do you help with homelessness?

Question

I live in a large city where the homeless population is as large as the small town I moved here from. It breaks my heart to see them on the street. I've made care packages with food, snacks and cigarettes (yeah I know, but I understand that addiction) but I know that's not enough. Where do you start to help these people who don't know how to help themselves? I'm looking forward to all feedback and opinions.

Answer 1

What a thought provoking question, and how kind are you to want to help?!

You're on the right track. You recognize that the homeless ARE people who need help, and that while care packages help, they're a band-aid.

You can organize drives to collect things like socks, toiletries (travel size) and blankets for them. Again, a band-aid, but will provide relief.

You can volunteer at your local mission or daytime shelter - spend time talking to some of the people. Learn their stories. Treat them like people. It's amazing what an impact genuine kindness can have on another human life.

To really get engaged in SOLVING the problem - you need to isolate the symptoms. Why are a lot of these people homeless? Is it because they choose to be? I say this, because I know a university professor - employeed and PhD educated - who CHOOSES to be homeless, because he doesn't want to be tied down with owning/renting property.

Is the problem addiction? Mental Health issues? Unemployment? Can he/she read? I'm sure you see where I'm going. While you address the issues in front of you (providing shelter, food, a place to shower/wash clothes, etc.), you need to look at the root of the problem and find ways to engage the community in addressing it.

Can you tutor an adult? Teach her to read? Teach him how to answer a job interview question? Can you sponsor someone through an addiction program? Refer him to a mental health specialist who can complete a diagnosis and administer appropriate medication?

Can you work with your local shelters to engage them in more meaningful programs for their clients?

It's a global problem, but I assure you - the solution is a local one. Don't get discouraged because you're "only one person." It matters, A LOT. Someone has to be first. Stand up for what you know to be right.

Good luck to you!!

Answer 2

Once upon a time ago, I was homeless myself ~ and for the past 14 years, have been volunteering with shelters, food pantries, and other organizations that help the homeless.

The number one reason for homelessness is lack of financial resources ~ brought on by lack of income. Many people might respond, "Well that's obvious ~ so, get a job then" but the reality is that it is very difficult for the homeless to find steady work that generates a sustainable income. It's a vicious cycle, and hard to break out of without some help and intervention.

While there's no denying that some people chose to be homeless (and truly, it's just a small segment of the population that represent this statistic), many are homeless through loss of job, physical or mental disability, through divorce or abuse, drug or alcohol addiction, lack of education, lack of child support (in the case of single parents), poor hygiene, poor communication skills...the list goes on.

There are many ways we can help the homeless ~ me personally, would like to see more shelters with on-site classrooms for GED studies, life skills (including food prep, basic first aid, money management), and job re-training.

For the short term.... I've written an article with "12 easy things you can do to help to homeless" which has some great ideas you can begin implementing right away. They are simple things, but can make a huge difference.

Answer 3

I think you have a heart of gold and should be commended for your efforts. Lot me list a few reasons for homelessness and poverty:
Disease
Disability
Disaster
Divorce
Downsizing
Death of spouse

Most people are 1 paycheck away from losing everything
Even though there are social service agencies out there to help, that help is not immediate, there are long, long waiting lists to wait on. In some cases, for public housing is 8 years!!!
Many of the homeless also have mental health issues and are not receiving medical care for them. Alcoholism is a DISEASE, left untreated, it is certain death.
Many people have no one to help them, either no living relatives or because family is struggling or just burnt out..

If you can volunteer with a homeless shelter, listen to their stories, most will break your heart.

If you really want to help, try to get a degree in Social Work, they are much needed, the pay may not be the best in the world, but there are riches in knowing that you can make a differences in someones life.

Bless you!

Answer 4

I believe supporting organizations that help the homeless are the best way because they can help these people get on their feet and have a job, educaiton, and a home again.

In the larger picture, we need to strengthen communities and taking care of each other. It's ludicrous how many homeless there are in developed countries where we have resources all around us, whereas in many undeveloped countries I've lived there are NO homeless because everyone takes care of everyone! No one is left out, feeling lonely, rejected, marginalized, and end up on the streets.

Answer 5

Some people do not try. Mostly, I find that if the homeless need anything, it's a change in perspective. They accept their fate rather than attempting to change it. And maybe it works for them, so I'm not one to call their lifestyle wrong. If you really want to go out of your way to help, I'd try to get talking to them perhaps invite one to a nearby restaurant to eat and then talk to them about what they want for their life. You'll get a good view of how they view the world: pessimistically or optimistically, hopeful or hopelessly, so on and so forth. And from there It'd be a good place to give them some advice, maybe an e-mail address for moral support in which they could access internet from a local library, and perhaps even startup money if you're just that philanthropic.

Answer 6

well first I would not give them any money, that will most likely feed into an addiction that got them to that place. I used to work at an liquor store and the bums would always line up first thing in the morning with thier change and buy alchol. sad sight.
There are always soup kitchens you can voluteer at.
Or during the winter time collect old blankets and coats from friends and neighbors and donate them to the homeless shelters.
but in the end the homeless person will have to want to get better.

Answer 7

the aqualung album from jethro tull for sure. i've only found tull on rhapsody. i don't know if your looking for feel good stuff, if you are then aqualung, mother goose, up to me and cross-eyed mary probably aren't what you want. if your looking for reality, you'll find it there. the album goes into the making of such misery also. if you've ever been homeless you would find that pretty little tunes don't do anything for you, only for those who watch you. i suppose you want to help in some way so i'd tell you to get involved in the anti-drug abuse groups, goodwill, salvation army and possibly victory outreach. this is where it counts.

Answer 8

Ever have that rotten feeling of finding a stray cat or dog, feeding it and then it just takes off like without a thanks

There are plenty of programs for them but they choose not to.
In the programs they make them clean their rooms and help out and they can take that for about half a day and they leave.
Think about it. If you were put out on the street, how long would it take you to get cleaned up, get some kind of job, meet new people who can see you are trying and those people will help you when they wouldnt if you just lay on the sidewalk.
They are just fine with their life.
I tried before and let one younger guy stay at one of my apartments. Bought him food, got him a job working construction labor.
I did his taxes for him and got him $600 and he spent the whole check on a remote control car that broke that day.
He would only eat macaroni and cheese for every meal. Drink and smoke and watch tv.
After a month of sort of a good life, he stopped going to work and got on the bike I got him and rode off and left everything.
Go figure.

Answer 9

it is a sad situation. their is not much you can do, in order to be helped someone has got to want the help and be willing to make appropriate changes to make a difference in their life's. the sad part is that the factors that make a person homeless are mental illness, drug and acholol abuse, and lack of money. some of the people need advocates to take them to social services and to help get the medical attention and government assistance to get back up on their feet. some are just lazy or don't have an education. the issue of homelessness is quite complexed and I applaud you for trying to step in and help those or cant or wont help themselves.

Answer 10

Find out what charitable organizations there are in your city that have programs for the homeless. You can get involved with their programs and even identify opportunities to improve on these programs.
Sometimes they don't have the resources to do all that's possible, but some help is better than no help, and your involvement greatly improves what help they give.