To want to help this homeless man?

[chicaguapa]

There's a homeless man who's always sitting in the multi-story carpark, though he has to leave at night when they close it. I've spoken to him a couple of times and tried to treat him with respect. He seems to be in touch with his family as he said he used to busk but someone stole his drums, so he's asked his mum to get him some more for Christmas. He said he can't get a job as he doesn't have an address.

What can I do to help him? I'd like to take him something for Christmas but not sure what I could do. I often think about him and it's been so cold lately at night.

Report it via street link and an outreach worker can come out to him

Interested to see replies as also not sure how to help a homeless women (+dog) in my local town. Hard to know what to do!

Surely it's a job for your local Council.

I befriended a dog owning homeless man. I remember giving him £20 last Christmas and plenty of food etc after that. One day his dog had an awful skin condition, told people he needed £28 for the treatment. As I knew his name +ddog's I rang the vet. Yes he had an app but it was free. So he left that poor dog suffering to enable him to keep getting more cash. I stopped. And also heard he has a house in town..
Report to relevant authorities and don't get over invested.

Please don’t give cash. It will often be spent on drugs or alcohol and simply prolong their time on the street. Either give something practical like food, warm clothing etc, or (better) inform a local outreach agency, either charitable or council, so the homeless person can be befriended and encouraged to come into a hostel and engage with support services.

The best thing you can do is Google the help/charities available in your area and get in touch with them.

Although there's a chance he's chosen not to respond to any help offered.

I agree with the others that you're better leaving it to professional charities. You could try ringing Streetlink or No Second Night Out etc, but it's his choice whether to engage with the charities.

Thank you. All good advice. I did have a hunch that it was best left to organisations to deal with.

I've googled [city name] and "homeless" and found a council email address to report this man to, so I've done that. The page also suggests making a donation of hat, scarf, towel, underwear etc to a drop-in centre which I'm going to do today.

I don't get overinvested either having bought a homeless lady a sandwich and a coffee and she asked if she could have the money instead

Oh and the time I gave a few quid to a bloke who looked like he'd been sleeping rough for years and, I shit you not, actually saw him driving off in a 2015 plate Audi specced up to the gills.

Agree with pp report to the relevant people, that's your bit done.

Don't give money!

If you want to donate it's much better to give to your local homeless charity. If you have time then volunteering over Christmas would help.
I don't think you can help individual people as you don't know anything about them.

If he's a regular, it's likely the outreach agencies will know about him. I agree - get in touch via your local council and ask about him. It takes time and care to engage with people on the streets - there is always a backstory often involving mental ill health, substance use, behavioural problems, and the professionals know the best ways for individual help.

Even warm clothing and bedding is not really helpful. A local homeless man was 'adopted' in my neighbourhood for a while - people donated sleeping bags etc....they were just left on the street causing a soggy mess. In the end he was befriended by the outreach team who got him into a hostel.

I work for a homeless charity, we have an outreach team. If you google street outreach and your area, there should be a phone number.

By all means give him warm clothing and food if you really want to, but far more can be done to help him (if he wants help) by going through the proper channels.

Never get too invested or expect them to really engage with help. Its not their fault they cant live up to our expectations. Any money you give is with the expectation its going on drugs, some people are ok with that. Set strong boundaries.

Don't give anything OP.

Give him details for local homeless support agencies, charities, etc.

In my area salvation army are an amazing organisation the outreach teams are really well versed in fealing with multiple disadvantage - it wont just be the lack of home, poor mental health, literacy, interpersonal skills, substance dependency, sex work, debt, sanctions/problems with benefits arent things that can be quickly fixed.

Chip in extra to the brass band, make a regular donation or even better be vocal to your local councillors and make sure they are prioritising funding winter shelters and onward support work to ensure homelessness is addressed throughout the year.

I was christmas shopping with DH last night, and met a homeless couple. They were homeless due to rent arrears..we gave them £25. He said "gosh I can't believe you both have given us money, instead of food!"
I then asked them how much food they had been bought that day, he said " today we have been bought 22 sausage rolls, and 40 cups of coffee!"

That is why I give money, it's not up to me to decide what food to get someone, or what they want to spend their money on.
They said as much as they are grateful receiving items, it's just more stuff they have to carry around with them.

I will get slated for giving them money now, but I don't care. If they do do drugs, who am I to tell them they are disgusting for doing it. It's was -2, if I was them, I would want to get high as a kite!!

I agree with you Rocking although if my employer asks I don’t

If they want to buy something to forget and get them through the night who am I to judge?

I agree with Patroclus. Homeless people in my town have been given jobs and assistance with accommodation only to have it all go wrong and back to sleeping rough within weeks. Unfortunately you can’t force people to engage, only signpost them to where the help is.

Streetlink/St Mungos is the way forward.

Unfortunately it’s not as simple as giving them jobs and homes, they need support with complex needs such as mental health/substance misuse.

If that support isn’t there, they’re unlikely to be able to maintain accommodation.

I've started buying a small supply of £5 gift cards from Greggs which I give to homeless people. Means they get what hot food they want when they want. £5 in Greggs will get them some soup and a sandwich or a cup of tea and a sausage roll or whatever.

PS I also have a DD to St Mungos and the Trussell Trust. I really feel for homeless people especially in winter when it's cold. Many have complex needs eg mental health/substance misuse issues, but it's often a chicken and egg scenario.

Also if you have ever gone through heroin withdrawal you will have a lot of sympathy for somebody having to do it on a freezing cold piss covered street. These people are dependent and basically need the drug. A lot of them dont seem to like the whole methadone system for some reason as well.

People talk so dehumanisingly about the homeless - this supercilious advice to ‘never give money’ because it will just go on drugs, as if they are oblivious to the fact that homelessness is not synonymous with drug abuse, that you can pay for a night in a hostel using sandwiches, and that even if the homeless person is a drug addict, sudden withdrawal could kill them.

As if a homeless person is a lesser being who needs another adult to save them from themselves by presuming to know what is best for them.

Either give money because you want to help another adult in dire circumstances and are willing to accept the possibility that maybe it will go on drugs because that is what that person needs right now, or support your local homelessness organisations. But don’t give food or other items that might be unhelpful or unwanted, and then get stroppy when the person isn’t slavishly grateful.

(That wasn’t directed at you OP - it was for previous posters)