The Best Ways To Help The Homeless

Starting with yourself, change the way society thinks about homeless people. Society has categorized homeless people as lazy, crazy, violent, addicted criminals who choose homelessness. Society sees homeless people as morally and socially inferior. It is a common belief that regular, average people cannot become homeless. The truth is that homeless people are just people, people who have had something overtake them beyond their ability (mentally, emotionally, financially, physically) to cope with.

The only way to fight the societal stereotype of homeless people as lesser life forms is to educate. To do this, more people need to be exposed to the realities of homelessness - its causes, its horrors, its nearness to them, and the stories and faces of the people without homes. To help this process, learn as much about homelessness as you can and talk about it wherever you can, write about, think about it, and take action.

You probably feel pretty sure your friends and family would help you if you were to be in danger of homelessness. You'd also be pretty motivated to help if a friend or family member of yours became homeless, wouldn't you?

Homeless people often entirely lack the support structure that most people take for granted. Homeless people often become homeless because they can't deal with a crisis, something people with good, strong family and friend support structures are far better equipped to handle. An elderly man with a strong support structure probably wouldn't become homeless if his roommate died leaving him with rent too high to pay with his Social Security income but the same man, without the help from family and friends would likely become homeless.

You can help rebuild or create a new friend/family support structure when you befriend a homeless person. You can also learn how to strengthen your own through this process. Begin with your friendship and encourage your homeless friend to partake in activities and social groups. Help him reconnect with family and friends and give him emotional support. Nothing gives a person hope like the love of a friend.

Like everyone else, homeless people have many needs. The difference is that many homeless people are unable to meet their needs themselves. So they need a hand and there's no reason that that hand can't be mine or yours.

Donate to homelessness charities, whether you donate time, knowledge or money, it all helps. Give directly to homeless people - friendship, small gifts of necessities, help in finding a job or filling out assistance paperwork - all of this helps.

You can learn more ways to help homeless people without spending money at How to Help the Homeless without Spending a Dime. You can find ideas on what you can give directly to homeless people that will be both appreciated and helpful at From Your Hand to the Homeless and What to Buy if You are Homeless.

Homelessness is not a disease, it is a symptom. To combat this illness of our society, we need to speak.

Research the laws and ordinances in your area. Many people are hindered in their fight to escape homelessness by laws - laws that make homelessness itself a crime and prevent future employment, laws that prevent those who wish to help homeless people from helping them effectively, there are laws that allow employers to pay insufficient wages, and there are laws that allow creditors to garnish debtors into homelessness. Find out what unjust laws exist in your area and in your country and then speak out.

And keep an eye on health care reform because the number one cause of bankruptcy in America is medical bills. No person should have to go homeless due to illness.

There probably isn't really a "best way" to help homeless people. But any way which people get involved and actually do something about homelessness in their culture, their country, their city, or their home is a good and useful thing. So don't worry about what the best way to help homeless people is, worry about homeless people instead.

A few people have asked me "if homelessness has affected you so deeply, why don't you donate your lens earnings to charities that fight homelessness?"

I would love to donate the proceeds of this lens and all of my others to help homeless people. Unfortunately, I'm on the very edge of homelessness myself.

You can read about why I'm in financial difficulty here.
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