How do you talk to your DCs about homelessness?

[flower76]

We live in a city where there are a lot of rough sleepers. When we go shopping we will see at least 10-15 people.
I say hi to them and occasionally give some change, I have worked with rough sleepers so I don't feel worried about talking to them but my DCs get very sad about it and don't understand that people can be homeless and how nobody just says come and stay at ours or something.
I'm finding it hard to justify and explain to them about it.

Very much depends how old they are.

I don't know my little boy is 4 and I gave some money to a homeless person recently and he was asking why and I tried to exain about homeless people but without worrying him. then later we went past a house for sale and I said oh thats a lovley house for sale a d he said oh maybe the man can buy it with the money you gave him. I didn't know how to explain so just said oh maybe then next t
day when we went past the homeless man wasn t there and he said Mammy mammy the man has got his house now. I just said yes as he's too young to explain and so innocent. if very young I would just try to be brief without worrying them but honestly have no idea for older ones

Maybe you could talk to them about the shelters and charities that help the homeless. Would it be worth taking them to a uhh soup kitchen? To help out, even for just a day? Talk to them about some people are unfortunate and how they are lucky that they have food in their tummies and a roof over their heads? I find it difficult to explain as well sorry, I hope this helps though.

Where I am we are actively told not to give the homeless people money due to a large amount of people who aren't homeless sitting near ATMs and such begging. We have those donation boxes though so it goes to actual homeless people.

I just tell DD (nearly 6) that some people don't have a house to live in, & that we are lucky to have a warm house & enough food to eat, & that there are a lot of reasons why people might be homeless. We don't shield DD from difficult or controversial things, we just try to explain them in an age-appropriate way that's hopefully not scary. Like war, disability, homosexuality, death, women's rights, different parts of history, religion & religious tension etc.

We don't let her know the horrible bits yet. But she knows there are some.