How can we help the homeless?

Question

I need 3 reasons help guys (:

Answer 1

Not a lot unless people actually start to understand the problems.
Homelessness not only is a result of problems like poverty and unemployment. It is also related to an alarming amount of mentall ilness, both as a result and a cause.
Most homeless people are not there by choice or as a result of anything they have any control over.
Also most of them once they are homeless are no longer employable.
They have no phone, no mail service, no place to sleep, prepare meals, shower, shave, or groom.
They have no place to keep clean clothes, no place to do laundry.
Also if you did not have mental problems before you became homeless you would soon have them.

So the first problem I see is educating people about what the homeless suffer from just by being homeless. Then why they get to become homeless

To actually help the homeless they need housing. That is the biggy.
Next is that they need help, jobs for those that are employable, psychiatric care for those who need that service.

I have never understood the desire a lot of people show to beat up the poor homeless people. The are already pretty beat down.

You will always have some homeless people but the levels of homelessness are not justifiable in todays world, especially not in the western world.
What you can do personally besides the basics of giving the water and sandwiches is to become an advocate through your Church group or community groups to actually start doing something to help these people get off the streets.

Answer 2

I have been thinking on how to help others, too.

Donations are a good way to help... giving things you don't want anymore, or maybe even buying a couple new things, as well.

Visiting a homeless shelter and talking to people seems to be a good idea, as well... all some people need are friends.

Volunteering

I hope these ideas help!

Answer 3

First, if the individual has an addiction, mental illness, or both, they need assistance with those issues. Second, they need job skills and training so they can learn how to obtain and maintain employment. Third, find them affordable housing so they can remain off the streets. Am I in a dream world? Yeah, probably, but I believe these are the ways to help the homeless, if they really wanted the help.

Answer 4

Just got this last night:

NAMI E-news

October 23, 2007

People with mental illness are disproportionately represented among the long-term chronic homeless. The Senate is considering the renewal of a program that helps bring permanent supportive housing those who need it most: people with serious mental illnesses and other disabilities. The bill (S 1518), would reauthorize the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and maintain critical protections for homeless individuals with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse disorders. NAMI strongly supports S 1518, and is urging the full Senate to pass the legislation as soon as possible. The legislation, sponsored by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Wayne Allard (R-CO), unanimously passed the Senate Banking Committee on September 19.

Act Now!

Contact your Senators today
( http://capwiz.com/nami/issues/alert/?alertid=10468086 ) and urge them to support immediate Senate passage of S 1518 to renew the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and maintain progress toward ending chronic homelessness experienced by people with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse disorders.

NAMI National Board Member Nancy Carter Testifies Before Congress on Homelessness

On October 16, Nancy Carter, President of NAMI Urban Los Angeles and a member of the NAMI National Board of Directors testified before the House Financial Services Housing Subcommittee on the McKinney-Vento program and federal policy regarding homelessness and mental illness. Her statement contains background on NAMI's positions on funding for permanent supportive housing and NAMI's justification for opposing an expansion of the current definition of homelessness. Click here to view her testimony
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Housing4&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=52897

Answer 5

Believe me, the donation storages are overflowing with food and clothing and the social workers are already getting paid too much. There is plenty of free housing, as well. There are tons of businesses willing to give them jobs.
They need to be held accountable for their own actions. Humans shouldn't be treated with any less dignity than that.

Answer 6

Talk to people and then your councilman. They should listen to you because they have to listen. Tell him or her that the city needs to give a grant to a church or building where they can live.
It must be supervised too. Even, now listen, if it's right down the street from you. You must be willing on your part.
Good luck.

Answer 7

Education--true there are jobs out there, but if you don't know how to do them, you can't work. My blog covers homeless and working poor issues, but I haven't had it long.

Answer 8

Give food
Give clothes
Provide free health care

Answer 9

There are homeless shelters that you can volunteer with and if you are a woman, women's and children's shelters.

Answer 10

You can donate money, volunteer in soup kitchens, or do other volunteer work in the community.