Most effective way(s) to support homeless people?

[Cocorico]

Would be really interested to hear your thoughts/guidance on this please.

I live in London at the moment, and I see a lot of homeless people every day.

I'm sure that there are also a lot of homeless people in other towns and cities across the U.K., and that the number of people in this situation will either increase or decrease over time depending on various factors e.g. the amount of social security available to people who are struggling financially.

Anyway... my question is (AIBU to ask) how can we help homeless people most effectively?

Is it best to:
A) give money to people directly

B) to help in a more indirect way (for example, by donating to charities involved in helping homeless people or people in financial difficulty, volunteering for these charities, donating to food banks, helping out at food banks or any other way)

C) to do a combination of both A and B.

Thanks very much.

Find out if your local hostel or outreach charity need any donations. They will usually have lists of what they most need, whether that be tinned food, blankets, toiletries or other bits and pieces. The one nearest us appreciates catering boxes of tea and biscuits, and fresh fruit.

Supporting charities and schemes for care leavers and people with mental health issues will also help.

Unless you know exactly why they are homeless, do not try to help and particular individual.

Donate money to the local homeless charity
Donate TIME to the local homeless charity
Volunteer at the local soup kitchen
Help out on the hot meals that such groups provide over Christmas.

The homeless guy I helped has finally been given his forever home - it has taken three years. There are no quick solutions.

Despite the fact we are paying a tax specifically to keep them open

A large chunk of which is passed to anti choice organisations (thanks George!). The defunding of DV support is a disgrace.

When I was moving my homeless friend from hostel to hostel, one of the shelters said that they can NEVER get enough underpants and socks for the older men.

With cold weather coming, sort through your cupboards and give any spare socks, pants, vests, thermals underwear
to your local homeless shelter or daycare centre.

They also always run short of shampoo, bodywash and toothpaste - homeless people do not shower often.

Thanks so much @pemba, just donated. Crisis are a really good charity (as are the others mentioned on this thread!) If anyone might want to donate using the link that pemba posted, it's absolutely a really worthwhile cause to donate to.

Thanks again everyone. Putting this thread in my favourites. So many fantastic and important ideas on here.

I used to be homeless.

I would give money to the individual tbh. It's an hour-to-hour existence and you need cash.

I'd also give cash to a local shelter/charity directly. Not a council run initiative. The local small-scale places saved my life.

Sometimes you just need some cash tho. :(

Thank you for starting this thread, Cocorico. I've been puzzling over similar this week.
DD (9) got very upset after a homeless man wished her Merry Christmas in our local city this weekend. I wasn't even aware that he had spoken as we passed and it was only when I realised she had gone quiet that I asked what was wrong. She was in tears because she knew that he wouldn't be having a good Christmas. She wanted to know how to help so I'm going to show her the Crisis link and we can both donate.

I'm so sorry to hear that @UterusUterusGhali how are you doing now?

Thanks for this thread OP - really good ideas on here.

Homeless people have illnesses and food problems too but because they are homeless they should doff their caps and be grateful for anything edible or not because they are not real people so we don't have to ask them first.

This.

I once had to listen to a friend (who loves to bang on about being very right-on and charitable) complaining that a homeless man had turned down the offer of hot food that she’d tried to give him. The food was free from some event that she’d just been to, and the guy had said ‘no thank you’ because he’d already been given two or three portions by others passing from the same place.

My friend went on about how shocked she was. She was all ‘oh I’m soooo sorry I didn’t have a more varied menu to offer’ and seemed to think that the guy should have been terribly grateful. For food that she got for free and was just trying to offload because she was too full to eat it.

Being homeless doesn’t mean you have a bottomless pit for a stomach. Homeless people are allowed not to be hungry sometimes. They’re also allowed to simply not like whatever you offer them, and say no thanks. Too many people don’t seem to get that!

So hostels and shelters don't charge? I always thought that (the common request for money to pay for a hostel) was a bit odd as otherwise surely by charging residents they would just be facilitating begging.

Being homeless doesn’t mean you have a bottomless pit for a stomach. Homeless people are allowed not to be hungry sometimes. They’re also allowed to simply not like whatever you offer them, and say no thanks. Too many people don’t seem to get that!

Completely agree with you @frieda.

I support Whitechapel Mission

whitechapel.org.uk/

They accept clothing, towels, food, sleeping bags, money. All info is on the site.

Google the name of your borough and "winter night shelter".
Volunteer for them.

Thanks so much @Toad and @Mojo.

I work as a homeless advocate and would recommend Streetlink. If you see someone homeless either drop them a message on their website or give them a call to let them know where that person is. They can then send out a team to see if that person is okay and support that person with both short and long term means of getting off the streets. Important to remember that the ground level is six degrees lower than the recorded temperatures given by weather reports so its extremely cold at the moment. Great thread and so relevant at the moment x

So hostels and shelters don't charge?

Yes many do. Some are free (mostly emergency one night hostels) but by no means all, I believe around £5 per night is common. Not sure what longer term (ie more than a couple of nights) charge these days.

So not expensive if you have money, unusable if you can't afford the entrance fee to one which charges.

I’m a trustee of a homeless charity. About 3/4 of our residents have a firm diagnosis of mental health issues, and we also have issues around drugs and alcohol. Of community mental health for the young was even half adequately funded we would see a reduction in suicide and substance abuse, as well as homelessness. Rough sleepers are very unable to maintain a tenancy because their substance dependence means they can’t adhere to the rules of many options for the homeless. That’s where the support is needed. Addiction is a disease, not a failing.

So hostels and shelters don't charge? I always thought that (the common request for money to pay for a hostel) was a bit odd as otherwise surely by charging residents they would just be facilitating begging

The homeless couple on the DrugsLand documentary had a sign saying they needed to raise £19:50 (I think) for a bed at the local shelter. I guess it was an effective way of raising money. They used the money for heroin and crack.

C) Because cash is hard to come by. I don't think it's 'effective' per se to give direct but it is human.

D) Don't vote Tory. We had reduced homelessness to very low levels until recently.

E) Talk to people as human beings and equals.

F) Support drug, alcohol and MH charities, initiatives and the people that struggle with these things.

G) Don't be a NIMBY. If you don't want to see homeless people, let's house them, not make them invisible.

Oh and I don't understand the issue with funding drugs and alcohol. People with addictions will find money for drugs and alcohol. I'd rather give it to them than have them either offend for it or do sex work for it.

Oh and I don't understand the issue with funding drugs and alcohol

I'd hate the thought that money I gave would go towards drugs or alcohol. Drugs harm and kill people (obviously!) I couldn't willingly be part of that. I'd rather give money to charities that are trying to help people get out of the grip of drugs or alcohol.

I do that to. And have worked in the field for decades, BTW. But people who are addicted WILL get the money somehow. And having seen the utter horror that is street sex work, I'd rather give my money. Actually I'd rather give free, clean drugs to people in safe injection sites but only the Swiss are that sensible.

Thanks so much for mentioning Streetlink @LittleGreenBranch. I hadn't actually heard of them until today, and I definitely think it'll be useful to contact them now.