How You Can Help Homeless People with a Personal Touch
In an often uncaring world it's important that we reach out to each other. You can give to the homeless in an indirect way (and you should) but giving and caring directly gives homeless people something beyond price - human contact and recognition.
Perhaps the most painful part of homelessness for me was the isolation. At times I felt there was no one in the world that saw me as a human being. While I have a hard time with eye contact myself, I saw that no one met my eyes; they turned their heads and hurried along.
By giving directly to homeless people you give a gift of humanity, dignity, and self-esteem. The items listed here can be life changing for a homeless person but they can serve as an excuse to approach someone who needs your voice, someone who needs to know that someone cares.
Most of the gifts listed below are less than $10 each and many are less than a dollar. So for the cost of a fancy coffee you can make a few lives a little better. For your convenience, I've listed an online source for most items below their descriptions in case you don't have time to go out and shop for these small gifts.
Contents at a Glance
Hand Warmers

Those little disposable hand warmers can provide warmth and comfort on cold days and nights. Even in warmer climates, homeless people get cold at night.
Mylar Emergency Blankets
Mylar blankets are a great gift for homeless people whether the weather is warm or cold. Mylar emergency blankets can keep in warmth better than any other available blanket of their size but they can also be turned around and used to keep heat off.
Mylar blankets come folded up tight into neat, pocket-sized packets.
Granola Bars, Energy Bars

Granola bars or energy bars are packed with calories and nutrients.
It's easy to slip a handful of them into your pocket in case you run into someone who is homeless.
Bottled Water, Gatorade
In the summer, most homeless people can't get out of the heat so gifts like bottled water or Gatorade can help them to avoid heatstroke.
Moist Towelettes
It's really, really hard to stay clean when you don't have a bathroom of your own. Moist towelettes can help a homeless person feel cleaner when no access to running water is available.
Nice-Pak D11000 Lemon Scented White Moist Towelettes, 5" x 7 3/4" (NICD11000) Category: Moist Towelettes
100 individually wrapped wet naps
Hats

As much as 20% of a person's body heat is lost through his or her head. Hats are the single most effective item to keep a person warmer.
You can buy cheap knit hats at most discount stores such as Family Dollar, Big Lots, and Dollar General. The ones in the photo were at Dollar Tree for just one dollar each.
You can also learn more about getting hats to the homeless by visiting Linda's Hats for the Homeless.
Which Gift is Best?
Gloves

Gloves can keep homeless hands warm in cold weather and at night in warmer weather.
You can often find those stretchy, one-size-fits-all gloves at dollar and discount stores for about a dollar in many dollar and discount stores.
Dental Care Items
It's hard to keep up with dental hygiene when you are homeless so a toothbrush and a sample-sized tube of toothpaste make another great, compact gift.
You can find these items at big box stores like Target and Walmart, in dollar stores, and in drug stores, often in the sample size aisle. These items usually cost under a dollar.
Compact First Aid Kits
A compact basic first aid kit would be welcomed by many homeless people.
Here's my favorite link:
Combs

Combs are one of the easiest small gifts to find and to carry. They are durable and take up very little space.
You can get a big package of combs for just a few dollars at most discount stores. You can also find them in dollar stores and big box stores.
Amazon Error: Could not open remote connection
Sorry, there are no results available from Amazon.Canteens
It can be hard to find a drinking fountain every single time you need a drink. A canteen can give a homeless person a way to carry water around easily. Regular water bottles are good, too, but they are not as easy to carry if one is carrying all of his or her possessions around, too.
Canteens are harder to find than many of the other items on this page but they make wonderful gifts for homeless people. You can find them online and in military surplus stores. Also, they can sometimes be found in the sporting goods departments of department stores.
Drink Mix Packets
Homeless people can usually get access to water but water can get boring sometimes. Drink mixes such as hot cocoa envelopes or fruit flavored drinks also provide calories and sometimes other nutrients. Instant breakfast packets (the ones that don't take milk) are really great because they provide a meal as well as a beverage that is a treat.
Hand Sanitizer

This year H1N1 flu is expected to hit homeless populations harder than the general populace. Hand sanitizer, used properly may kill the flu virus and prevent the spread of germs.
Purse sized sanitizer gel is another cheap and easy gift to carry around.
Get Out There and Do It!
Get out there and give...
And then come back here to tell us about it. Either contact me through my lensmaster page or drop me a line in the guest book belowand I'll link back to your personal account of giving to homeless people.
- The Strangelands
- "The other day was my birthday. When my princess asked me what I wanted, I told her I didn't know, and I'd think about it. When I finally realized what I wanted, I'm pretty sure it surprised her almost as much as it surprised me.
I wanted homeless kits. "
More on Homelessness from this Author
-
Some Reasons People Become Homeless
-
Many people feel that homeless people are entirely to blame for their own miserable situation. They believe that under no circumstance could they find themselves homeless because they are better than "those people" who have become homeless...
-
Why Don't Homeless People Just Get Jobs?
-
There are many assumptions about homeless people. Perhaps the most common is that homeless people are too lazy to work. Having been homeless myself and having worked with many homeless people, I have to say that for the vast majority of homeless peop...
-
What to Buy if You are Homeless
-
This may seem like a strange topic but when homeless people get money it's important they spend it carefully, in ways that will help them survive, get or keep a job, and possibly escape homelessness. When I was homeless almost twenty years ago I...
-
Answers to Questions about Homelessness
-
Many people arrive on my lenses about homelessness via search engines. Squidoo's dashboard tool allows me to see what terms people searched for that landed them there. Often, these terms take the form of questions about homelessness. Because not all...
-
Why Homeless People Don't Use Shelters
-
I spent a lot of my time when I was homeless sleeping "in the rough" which is another way of saying outdoors. I've been asked a lot of times why I didn't just stay in shelters. The two answers most homed people will give as to why h...
Sewing Kits
When your resources are limited, a sewing kit can help keep clothing in good repair. Sewing kits make great gifts for the homeless and are both very portable and very inexpensive.
Homelessness in the News
- Homeless man gets gift of coat from Russell Crowe
- Leave it to Russell Crowe to give the shirt - or winter coat - off his back for "Radio Man," a homeless celebrity follower who biked to Pittsburgh just to ...
- Kanye West's Christmas giving
- Kanye West did some extra giving over the holidays by serving food to the homeless. The hip hop star made a surprise visit to the Los Angeles Mission with ...
- Coastal Voices Guest Opinion: Perspective on the homeless
- We must give attention to ?best use? of our resources. With respect to the homeless, the philosophy of Community Assistance Network (CAN) is that we expend ...
Love This Lens or Hate It? Then Rate It!
Do You Have a Good Gift Idea for Homeless People?
-
Reply
- pkmcr pkmcr Dec 27, 2009 @ 5:27 pm
- Blessed by a Squid Angel
-
Reply
- GroovyFinds GroovyFinds Dec 6, 2009 @ 11:47 pm
- A group of us collect old backpacks & fill them with MRE style food that has no expiration date.
-
Reply
- Kylyssa Kylyssa Dec 7, 2009 @ 9:36 am
- That's an awesome idea!
-
Reply
- Kasey Kasey Nov 23, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
- I saw a toothless woman with a black eye and ripped jeans - I'd like to give her, in addition to these items, a way to protect herself. What could it be though that won't cause more harm than good?
-
Reply
- KimGiancaterino KimGiancaterino Nov 20, 2009 @ 12:46 am
- Thank you for your insight... Squid Angel Blessed!
- Load More
A Collection of Lenses by Kylyssa
-
Kylyssa on Squidoo
-
Squidoo has had a big impact on my life, both as a writer and as a human being. I've written on a bunch of other websites but the Squidoo experience is not the same. I discovered Squidoo back in February of 2008. I found Squido...
Why This Lens Does Not Donate to Homelessness Causes
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.
Get your own Tip Jar




