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.

It's a different little microcosm of life. You get used to it after a while. My second night homeless, I took an overdose as I couldn't handle the cold. They had a homeless liaison officer in the hospital and he got me a sleeping bag and a bus pass before he discharged me. Bus pass was stolen the following day while I was in the library, along with my last ID. It's a life-changing lesson which I wouldn't wish on anyone. But it has taught me a lot. Homeless are no longer invisible to me. They break my heart to see them. Especially in this cold.

I ask the person what they’d like, sometimes it’s just a hot chocolate to help warm them up, other times I give a pound or two, honesty if I was homeless I think I’d be wrecked just to get through, there for the grace of god and all that.

ArcheryAnnie Thats a really good idea, I carry a couple of carrier bags and a binliner for the same purpose.

Indeed, there but for the grace of God. You just never know what's around the corner.
For e.g. ME being secretary of the charity committee one week and two months later I'm on my arse on the street? Hah. I certainly didn't see that one coming.

Why would anyone want to support this lifestyle? Is there a difficulty in finding a better cause? Ever heard of enabling?
There is no real, lack-of-shelter based homelessness in UK. Staying on the streets is, without a fail, a choice. Or a result of other conscious choices.The only exception being very short-term situations, such as "on my route to shelter, couldn't afford a buss pass".

Substance abuse is a culprit not a consequence of living on the streets. Chucking all your money at this problem is not going to eradicate homelessness. It is not even going to make a dent. Because those people either don't want help ( other than the next dose ) or are beyond help ( drug addled brains that are incapable of sustaining tenancy ).

I really find it unsettling that people find it a worthy cause. Just call it what it is: "This Christmas I enabled drug taking and supported my local dealers" or, particularly in London " I made this Christmas beautiful to all my local Romanian human trafficking/begging gangs".
Lovely.

👀

Vote Labour when you next get the chance. Let's try to actually tackle this at a societal level.

Ok I'll bite.

Willsa one of my family members is closely associated with a day centre for the homeless in the Midlands. Do pm if you would like to visit. I can assure you that very few of their service users are living on the streets by choice. The majority are dealing with mental health difficulties, relationship breakdowns, domestic abuse, redundancy and addictions (which can be the result of sleeping rough as much as the cause) and criminality. You would probably be surprised to learn that they come from a wide range of backgrounds; ex-soldiers, teachers, accountants, taxi drivers, and shop assistants, to name but a few of the current visitors. Some are employed but have nowhere to sleep at night through no fault of their own. There but for the grace of God go you or I.

Why would anyone want to support this lifestyle? Is there a difficulty in finding a better cause? Ever heard of enabling? There is no real, lack-of-shelter based homelessness in UK.

A lifestyle!! I hope life is always as kind to you as it has clearly been thus far.

I'm not in the UK - am in the US. I don't want people to spend their lives spending night after night in "shelters" (and where I live you have to start queuing at 2 pm to get into a shelter at 7).

I want people to be supported back to living with dignity in their own spaces.

I don't presume that everyone on the street is an inconvenient druggie who just won't do what society wants. I KNOW - from serving dinner etc at the homeless hostel - that they are men and women who are down on their luck, who are unmoored from support and family, some of whom have drink and drug problems but can't hide behind wealth and security while having those problems.

They are "there but for the grace of god go I"

Interestingly the "there but for the grace of god" thing meant I had to make myself think about your post willsa and make myself think could I also think like that but for luck, really good parents, great education, exposure to life. So I don't judge you anymore than I judge a guy on the street.

Scheme in Oxford where you can 'buy' vouchers that cover shower, hot meal and night at the hostel. And as far as I remember it was a hostel where anyone who needed to could bring their dog with them. I always had a book of them in my wallet and would ask if anyone needed a voucher.

Also Willsa you are way wrong - a lot of homeless people in UK are on the streets due to mental health issues, and a significant proportion have backgrounds in the forces - lots of writing on this suggests a breakdown in moving to life after the forces, or PTSD, as factors.

Wow Willsa. What an ignorant uninformed post. I am back on my feet now and would challenge you to a debate in a public forum any time you want. A lifestyle? Lol.

Sludgecolours
Majority of people who work with homeless population will tell that at least 95% to even 100% of rough sleeping in their area is directly associated with substance abuse.
NO ONE as a result of domestic violence has to sleep rough in this country. Help is there, Help is immediate. Getting on feet permanently might take longer.
Drug users get offered rehab centre stays and money, food, clothes, phone, temporary accommodation after. Getting on feet permanently might take longer. Most you see on the streets have refused that help and I have heard direct statements of : I like my drugs, I'm happy as things are.
Mental health is an altogether different issue and homelessness is just one of manifestations of a disorder. There are mental health teams trying to place these people, assign carers, etc Your money can't help if a person refuses / mental ability doesn't allow to accept help.

I hope life is always as kind to you as it has clearly been thus far.

I have been homeless so lets' not assume. Equally it might explain why I feel quite strongly about this issue.
I wasn't on drugs and wasn't ok with my situation so I got out of it quickly. So I'll repeat - for the willing, help is there. My biggest problem was overcoming the pride and asking for help. From then on I had to build my life just like any other citizen ( if we talk about independent living ). Now nobody would know.

Substance abuse is a real issue among homeless. Usually alcohol dependency. They probably drink less than most yummy mummies drink on an average night over the course of a day.

Willsa, if you've been homeless, I live in Buckingham Palace.

What, for a day?

Homeless as in street homeless, or homeless as in splitting from your millionaire husband and spending a night in a 5 star hotel? Because you sure as hell haven't a bull's notion about homelessness.

How would you feel if you got a phone-call 2 weeks into being homeless offering you a job of 35k but you have no clean clothes nor means of getting there?

Have been EXACTLY there ( not such a high paying job ). I cried. Passer by asked about it. I told the story. They wanted to give me money. I said no, but asked if they could top up my phone ( I wanted them to see what it's going on ), they did. The stranger offered to pay for a hotel room, I explained that I have a hostel room for the night hours. I didn't get the job but used the phone to contact people who maybe could help out. Sofa surfed. Got a live-in waitress job, the story goes on. It's a different story now.

You are right, I'm probably missing something. I thought unless you're an active drug user/ drunk or cause disruption/violence there is always a hostel room there for the night hours at least. Sorry if it's not so, it was in my experience. That's all I can talk about.

As I've said earlier, there are charities that can not help, no matter how desperate you are.
As for DV and people not becoming homeless? Open your fucking eyes and ears.

Well my dear, your experience is very different to mine. So don't proclaim to be a fucking expert.

Was it different for me because I'm a woman?
But then again there are quite a few women who sleep rough where I live now. Go figure.

You see, right there, you had a hostel room so could have washed and scrubbed up. I DIDN'T. You had help from charities. I was not eligible. Don't fucking lecture me on help being there. There was no help. None. And I walked for hours and hours and hours to various places that people told me would help. Would they fuck?