We can help a homeless person by serving him/her food, a blanket and/or necessary items. It's a pretty simple and wonderful thing to do.
In this article, I would like to propose a way to share items with homeless people. This distribution method of serving an unhoused person has worked for Children Helping Poor and Homeless People volunteers for over twenty-two years. I will discuss "the charitable giving of food" in detail in a later article.
Let's start from the beginning - we'd like to share something with a homeless person/people, but what should we share and how can we do share it?
First, we ask ourselves, what would we like to share with those in need. Not sure? On our website, www.chphp.com, there is a "Can You Help?" button which, once clicked on, will reveal a number of suggestions of how to help.
One of our favorite projects is to assemble one or more Gift Bags, also known as, Survival Kits or Toiletry Bags. The goal of this project is to fill a bag(s) with new hotel/motel size toiletries and then give them to homeless people.
Although any bag or container can be used, we suggest using gallon zip lock bags for a number of reasons: they are big enough to fit a lot of items; a homeless person can reuse the bag; and because the top of the bag can be securely closed, the car/transportation vehicle is safe from spillage.
Having selected Gift Bags as our project, we can then think about the toiletry items we want to include in each Gift Bag. This is a very important part of this project because we are raising our own awareness. We can let our minds wonder and imagine what personal items a homeless person could use. We might even ask ourselves what personal items we would want if we were homeless.
For more ideas of personal items to include in the Gift Bag, we can refer to a list of just some of these items on our website, www.chphp.com and click on the " "Can You Help?" button.
We can then make a list of these toiletry items and share this list with our extended family, classroom, school and others to raise awareness and to generate more personal items. We can also purchase toiletries at reasonable prices at discount stores such as The 99 Cent Store or Big Lots.
After our collection is complete, we can sort these wonderful toiletries into piles of similar items, such as a pile of combs, a pile of toothbrushes and a pile of toothpaste.
Then, we put one or several of each item into each bag. This assembly process is great fun and can be done by young people and adults alike.
After our Gift Bags are assembled, we can bring them to homeless people we've seen in any area, place or park. For example, in Los Angeles County, we frequently distribute to people in need on the Santa Monica Promenade or at Venice Beach.
We follow several guidelines when we share/distribute anything to anyone:
1. We always serve in a group with two or more adults. We are a team. We always stay together.
2. We always serve others in a well-lit area.
3. We always use our common sense. For example, we don't like to be awakened when we are sleeping, so we don't wake a homeless person up to serve him/her anything. We can put the item(s) nearby without disturbing the sleeping person.
4. The homeless children, women and men are our guests. How do we treat a guest? With kindness and respect.
5. We use special words when serving another person. We say, "Excuse me, Sir or Madam, do you know anyone who could use this ____________ ? Fill in the blank, which in this case, is a Gift Bag filled with toiletries.
We have found that the person we are asking will usually respond in one of three ways,
1. 1% of the time he/she will say, "No, I don't."
Our response: "Thank you, have a nice day!"
2. 1% of the time he/she will say, "Yes, there is a person who could use it right over there."
Our response: "Thank you, have a nice day!"
3. 98% of the time he/she will say, "Yes, I could!"
Our response: "Wow, that's great! Here you are. Have a nice day!"
That's it.
Creating Gift Bags is a lot of fun, but I can assure you that the distribution, this sharing, is the very best part.
I hope that you will consider direct service. It's good for all of us.
Also, not just homeless people need help. There are very poor rural neighborhoods (shanties) and communities (tent cities) all across the country. A local pet rescue organization, Pasado's Safe Haven, is doing something about it with their Home for the HOWLidays. During the year, they collect donations to give poor communities free pet food, supplies, free vet care at Christmas time. They also provide free/low cost spay/neuter services throughout the year.
Here are links to Pasado's and the Seattle Times.
http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/Home_For_The_HOWLidays_HOME.htm
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003494839_dogs26m.html
Thanks for your comment.
Of course, Gift Bags could include pet food. Great idea!
We normally put pet food in their own zip lock bags or use their original bag because of potential spillage onto toiletry items. Also, sometimes dried pet food has a distinctive odor, so its own zip lock bag can be a good idea.
It is wonderful to hear about Pasado's Safe Haven and all that they do for pets of homeless people. Home for the HOWLidays is a marvelous idea and very cute name.
I am definitely going to make a list of all these new found resources. Thanks for the website addresses.
How is homelessness in your locale?
Please stay in touch,
Christine
There's a 2% net increase from 2008.
Here's a link to the sanctioned tent cities in Seattle that are organized by SHARE/WHEEL: http://www.sharewheel.org/Home/tent-cities
Thanks for your story. Thank you for sharing your food with the young man who had no food. The issue of hunger is a serious one in this country, an issue we sometimes overlook.
I can only say that it doesn't need to be this way. We can help end hunger, poverty and homelessness.
But while we're working on the big issues, we still need to keep people alive. Every act of kindness counts. Every act of compassion is huge. Every act of generosity enlarges our own spirits.
Would you like to share what city you're in and what the homeless situation is in your city?
Thank you for helping those in need,
Christine
You are obviously a caring and observant person. Both qualities can be very useful when helping people.
My next article will be about the distribution of food.
Interestingly enough, the most common food that is distributed to homeless people is bread and then pasta. Why? Because they're available and they're easy to get or make.
Poor nutrition, truly malnutrition, goes hand and hand with being homeless. No one can have a solid immune system when their primary food is a starch. These starchy foods also add weight at an alarming rate which, in turn, leads to other physical problems.
All that being said, any food is better than no food. You can quote me on that.
There was a doctor who testified one day before the Santa Monica City Council, it's on tape. He said that hunger is the worse death. Eating anything is better than the pain of starving.
So, I thank the guy for sharing a bagel with the homeless person.
Don't worry, bagels can be broken down into small pieces and digested.
I think that the most interesting thing in this conversation is that we are having the conversation at all. It is a very important conversation about being human, needing food and living as a homeless person.
Please stay in touch,
Christine
Thanks for your comment.
Over the years, we've found that most homeless people have some kind of dental issues.
In your case, the thought is what counted. It is entirely possible that the homeless man you served gum to was able to share it with others who had teeth. Or it could have been used to exchange for something else that the man you served needed.
When we give from our hearts, as you did, our efforts are always appreciated.
Please keep in touch.
Christine
Thanks for your kind words.
It sounds like you've been busy helping - what have you been doing? What have you felt about what you've done? Have you noticed a lot of homeless people in your area?
Obviously, I have a lot of questions. I'm trying to learn as much as I can from my readers. I really appreciate all that is shared on this blog.
Please stay in touch.
Christine
We have an amazing place in Boulder, CO called Carriage House/Community Table which is a day shelter for homeless and the underemployed where they can get a personal phone number (hard to get a job without one), do laundry, take a shower, learn computer skills, write a resume, check email, get counseling, participate in 12 step programs, visiting nurse, eye exams, free haircuts, bus fare for job interviews and hot meals. They have donated clothes and toiletries. They also have art classes and art shows where they auction off the artists work. Poetry writing workshops, you name it.
I strongly feel every community could use a place like this that address a persons immediate needs and also helps them get back on their feet in a respectful environment with a range of support.
Thanks for your comment. Yes, I agree that Gift Bags is a great project to do with groups. You are quite ingenious to think of asking people before they travel to start collecting hotel/motel size toiletries.
I enjoyed reading about Carriage House/Community Table in Boulder, CO. Yes, I agree with you again that every community could use a place like this. Wonderful.
I hope that other readers will post comments about what services are available in their areas, how many people are homeless and what they've done and/or feel about homelessness.
Please stay in touch. We've got a lot to talk about.
Christine
Even those who are professionals go through periodic trainings to learn what body language to use and what body language to be aware of. Simply being in pairs is not safety.
The author rightly states that you are a guest in the home of a homeless person when you enter that person's space, even in the street. How do you feel when an uninvited guest enters your home, no matter how well intentioned? Without the ability to defend their space, and often having a history of suffering abuse, the homeless often feel helpless, helpless to refuse well-intentioned charity even if they would be inclined to do so.
There is also the question of whether or not you are helping or enabling. Street homelessness comes in all shapes and sizes and the ones that are most visible are often not the ones that need the most help. People who interact with the homeless on a daily basis know where the most help is needed and what that help might be.
Please...
Thank you for your comment. I want to do several articles on the issues that you raise. Very important issues.
Checking in with local agencies is alway nice to do. However, government or established agencies should not limit our helping those in need directly.
For example, if we all didn't do our part to recycle, save water, pitch in and be good citizens by helping others, aren't we really avoiding our civic responsibilities? Our moral responsibilities? Our own personal growth?
Over the years, we've had major local agencies call Children Helping Poor and Homeless People and ask us how we do our work with people living outside. Agencies have seen our program as a tool to help themselves develop their own program. We've spent countless hours working with service providers to help them get off the ground and support their efforts.
Helping or enabling... Some days we all need help to get through the day. The person is already homeless, so by sharing some items or helping him/her we are helping them get through the day or night.
To get off the street, a homeless person needs affordable housing, a job and very possibly help making the transition from living outside on the street to living inside a house. This transition, as any major transition in life, can be very challenging.
However, when we share something with someone in need, our assistance helps them and helps us, too.
I look forward to discussing this further.
Christine
It is not 'nice' to check with agencies. It's smart. It will help you target those most in need and learn what works and what doesn't. Bus passes, for instance, sound like a great idea but they are a marketable commodities that as often as not are sold for sex, alcohol, or drugs. We distribute over 500 bus tickets a month, but only for documented employment, employment interviews, or medical appointments. Checking will also help you learn what efforts are being attempted in your community, where the holes are, and how you can organize your community to be more effective.
Recycling and conserving water don't involve entering another person's space.
A famous man once said that charity is injurious unless it helps the recipient to become independent of it. That's not totally true, but through some of the suggestions that I have made, you are more likely to accomplish that goal.
Thanks for your continuing comments. It is helpful to learn about homelessness in southwest Florida. Sometimes, we think that homeless people are all in our town. Thanks for sharing.
When you wrote about people being unprepared for homelessness, I recalled a dear older lady new to living on the street in Santa Monica, CA.
When we first served her, she was smiling, well-groomed, wore clean clothing, had blankets and a bike. I remember thinking, she looks like she could be my housed neighbor.
Two days later, we served our friend again, but this time her hair was not well-combed and her clothing was dirty. Her bike had half-filled plastic bags tied to its handle bars.
Three days had passed before we were able to help our friend again. This time she was not smiling, she was not well-groomed and she had no bike.
Since that last time, we have been unable to find our friend. We hope that she is now inside and smiling once again.
What a lovely lady. However, she was clearly unprepared to be homeless. Within a few days, the streets had taken its toll on her.
Let's keep up the conversation. And let's help end homelessness.
Christine
Here is an organization that is working on the deeper problem, finding affordable housing and helping people stay in it:
http://www.latch.org/
Thanks for your comment. At the website you recommended, www.latch.org, I read that "LATCH is a coalition of Lutheran congregations whose mission is to build safe and nurturing communities that recognize the right to affordable housing, the importance of self-determination, and the value of mutual respect." This is a great mission.
This blog is certainly a wonderful way to share what we're all doing and educate, in this case, myself!
Affordable housing and jobs are the ultimate answers to homelessness.
Sometimes people question whether helping homeless people directly really means or does anything when we're not supplying a home or job.
Direct service keeps people alive. It helps us, housed and unhoused people alike, keep on keeping on. It lets our spirits soar.
Not bad for a small act that everyone of every age can do!
In fact, we need direct service at the same time we're solving the issues of housing and jobs so that we can keep people alive and build trust across economic levels.
Best Wishes to you. Please stay in touch.
Christine
My son is researching possible Eagle scout projects and is looking at doing some renovations at LATCH properties.
I'd like to get something like your operation going in our area (north of Seattle.)
My hat's off to you and your Mom for coming through such a challenging situation. You have accomplished a great feat of getting off the streets, out of an office space and out of a UHaul.
I can only imagine how much you can share with those of us who may have had other life challenges, but who want to understand more about others' challenges.
Please stay in touch. And give a big hug to your Mom from me.
Christine
Please contact me if you would like to receive Scensibles disposal bags to donate with sanitary pads/tampons.
Thank you
Ann Germanow, Founder
Thanks for your comment and for referring us to your website, http://www.scensiblesource.com/company/just-for-girls.
Please keep up the great work! And stay in touch!
Christine
NoRinse Shampoo (brand). You don't need water in order to wash your hair. Plus:
A roll of Kleenex paper towels; they're like soft cloth. You use less of them so they can go far. Use them to towel out the No-Rinse Shampoo.
Boxes of Wet Ones, individually wrapped washing cloths which you throw away after using.
A box of 1 gallon plastic or paper bags for trash will help keep the area tidy.
(A stack of paper bowls would be useful as a potty.)
'Space' blankets gotten from camping stores and REI.com (see under blankets). They are made of a kind of non-irritating plastic developed by NASA. Very thin; keeps the heat in. One side is silvery and reflects the heat back to the body. The other side orange. Cost: about $3.95.
Big advantage: doesn't need washing, isn't heavy, doesn't collect bugs or twigs or burrs. Get double size.
Another blanket sold by REI.com is a hardier blanket and the former can be used under this one. It also keeps the heat in and is made of a kind of non-irritating sturdy plastic. It's red. It also has a shiny silvery side which reflects heat back into the body. About $14. Again, it doesn't collect anything. [Ask for charity discount.]
Find investors: get a lot. Do as the writer says.
You've made marvelous suggestions! Super ideas. And you sure have a lot of enthusiasm, you must have been doing this for a long time!
I'm smiling because I'm remembering all the times we bought blankets at the Salvation Army and GoodWill.
We've even contacted a generous blanket maker and gotten blankets with design defects which could not be sold, but which could be given away to people in need.
Thank you for your fine work and please stay in touch. Some how I feel our conversation is just beginning.
Christine
Best Wishes,
Christine
Take ten bucks a week and set it aside to put together a "cold water " kit for a homeless person:
1. a 99cents waterproof shopping bag
2. A jar of peanut butter and a jar of jam
3. A can of tuna fish (pop top preferred)
4. A box of saltine crackers
5. A quart envelope of non fat dry milk
6. A plastic cup and plastic utensils (knife fork spoon)
7. A bar of soap, and a toothbrush
8. A washcloth, and a comb
9. A mylar emergency blanket
10. and most importantly a note saying that the recipient is NOT forgotten.
Wrap each item in a plastic zip lock bag and place in the 99 cent shopping bag, then put it in the trunk of your car. As you're driving around, it will become more and more often that you will see someone who can use this bag.
I keep a couple of these in my car at all times in case.
Simple and could make a real difference to someone.
------------
Peanut butter are contaminated!
A monthly bus pass is truly an amazing gift.
Some homeless people live in their cars, their, hopefully, temporary shelter on the way to an apartment.
So, sometimes, for these people, money for gas would be most welcome.
The job list is a very creative idea.
My thoughts: when we get/have a job we need to have the ability to bathe regularly and have clean clothing daily. If a person is homeless, he/she can do this, but it's often not easy to do.
When a person has a home, it is easy to have a regular schedule for bathing and easy to keep clothing clean within the home.
Showers for homeless people are often not available and/or available at inconvenient times or places. Showering at the beach, if these showers are available at all, involves cold water which is a challenge particularly in the cold winter months.
Cleaning clothes, of course, can be done at any laundromat, but how does a homeless person keep their clothes clean and relatively wrinkle-free?
I think that it is safe to say that it is not easy for all housed people to get and keep a job. Especially in this economy.
I can only imagine the challenges that a homeless person must face just surmounting the simple tasks of bathing and keeping his/her clothing clean for work and then getting and keeping a job.
Thanks for being this topic up for discussion. Please stay in touch,
Christine
Thanks for keeping in touch. I appreciate your ongoing comments and kind words.
You are obviously a very compassionate person. Thanks for thinking about the welfare of those in need.
Best Wishes,
Christine