How to Help the Homeless
Donate money., Donate items., Provide food., Donate recreational items., Volunteer your time.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: 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.You can also donate to local churches, temples, mosques, and other religious institutions that offer help to the homeless. -
Step 2: Donate items.
Donating your used or new items is another easy way to help.
Donate these items to local organizations that house the homeless or otherwise support them.
Alternately, you could provide such things to your local homeless population directly.
The best items to donate include:
Winter weather clothing (such as hats, mittens, coats, and boots) New underwear and socks Travel-sized hygiene items (toothpaste, soap, etc.)Professional clothing (a hurdle to overcoming homelessness is looking presentable at job interviews) First aid items (such as Neosporin, Band-Aids, antibacterial cream, and hand sanitizer) Secondary medical items (such as sunscreen, heavy duty lotions like Bag Balm, allergy medication, and tissues) Bus passes (great for helping them get to job interviews) Linens (i.e. twin sheets, towels, pillows and pillow cases) , One of the constant struggles of homelessness is finding enough to eat.
Donate canned or boxed goods to your local soup kitchen or homeless shelter.Before making your donation, contact the homeless organization and find out which items they need most.
Alternately, you could buy (or make) lunch for a homeless person you encounter on the street., 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. , If you cannot donate money or goods, sign up to work with a homeless organization.
The sort of volunteer opportunities available to you will vary depending on the organization you contact and the organization’s needs.
You might be able to:
Pack boxes with foods for distribution to homeless people Serve hot food at a soup kitchen Help homeless people transition to working a job and paying bills Train homeless people in a skill like gardening or playing an instrument Use your skill set to assist the homeless in other ways (for instance, by giving homeless people free haircuts or tutoring homeless kids) -
Step 3: Provide food.
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Step 4: Donate recreational items.
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Step 5: Volunteer your time.
Detailed Guide
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.You can also donate to local churches, temples, mosques, and other religious institutions that offer help to the homeless.
Donating your used or new items is another easy way to help.
Donate these items to local organizations that house the homeless or otherwise support them.
Alternately, you could provide such things to your local homeless population directly.
The best items to donate include:
Winter weather clothing (such as hats, mittens, coats, and boots) New underwear and socks Travel-sized hygiene items (toothpaste, soap, etc.)Professional clothing (a hurdle to overcoming homelessness is looking presentable at job interviews) First aid items (such as Neosporin, Band-Aids, antibacterial cream, and hand sanitizer) Secondary medical items (such as sunscreen, heavy duty lotions like Bag Balm, allergy medication, and tissues) Bus passes (great for helping them get to job interviews) Linens (i.e. twin sheets, towels, pillows and pillow cases) , One of the constant struggles of homelessness is finding enough to eat.
Donate canned or boxed goods to your local soup kitchen or homeless shelter.Before making your donation, contact the homeless organization and find out which items they need most.
Alternately, you could buy (or make) lunch for a homeless person you encounter on the street., 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. , If you cannot donate money or goods, sign up to work with a homeless organization.
The sort of volunteer opportunities available to you will vary depending on the organization you contact and the organization’s needs.
You might be able to:
Pack boxes with foods for distribution to homeless people Serve hot food at a soup kitchen Help homeless people transition to working a job and paying bills Train homeless people in a skill like gardening or playing an instrument Use your skill set to assist the homeless in other ways (for instance, by giving homeless people free haircuts or tutoring homeless kids)
About the Author
James Clark
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow organization tutorials.
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