Been there, done that. K and R.

thank you for this list--truly helpful

I have extra eyeglass cases.
Dollar Tree sells leashes and lots of other useful things.
I go to a lot of garage sales and can pick up things for next to nothing, like eating utensils.

and acts out without her meds. She's a grand ole gal and we speak to each other all of the time when I see her. This will be so helpful to her. She is the kind also that I could give her this stuff and she will make sure those who need it will get it. Thank you so much for posting this. I worry about the homeless, it's getting cold at night down here and I wonder where they're going if anywhere at all. Thanks again...

Dark cloths to wear at night too. A woman MUST stay hidden at night.

Dental floss, razors,soap, shampoo, basically anything you can't buy with food stamps

Those small bottles are the best. Easy to carry. That is the big thing, the ability to put in a pack without taking a lot of space.

I prefer to be useful and effective.

I will be sharing it!

-

Many don't think about stuff like this. Even the newly homeless. The more info that gets out, the more easier it will be for many. Thinking of the little stuff is the last thing many think of when they first become homeless. When they do relies they need it, they don't know how to get it. The need for it is so great that when they go to try and find it, it is gone. I remember trying to get sanitary napkins. It was so hard! I was lucky that another homeless woman happen to get a whole box form her last shelter visit that she gave me some.

Great thread!

A book that is one of the first to look at the problem.
It is fitting to think about all year long.

I can't believe I forgot socks on the list! You wear them out so quick. That and they help keep your feet healthy. You have to watch out for your feet!

And the weather is cold.

Many don't have any shoes or coats or even long pants. It is hard to get on the streets. Many don't know where to go get these things.


However, those with shoes are in bad need for socks due to keeping their feet healthy. When you are being chased by a gang of teenagers, you need good feet. I was lucky I was hidden well enough not to be seen when I first encounter some of these type of kids. Many ar not that lucky.

Maybe somebody could make signs listing these items for homeless sign holders at intersections.

Many laws has and are going into effect that will punish the flyer's for do it. There are some places that will fine you for helping them.

Shaking a can= asking people for money or food as they walk by.
Flying= standing at the side of the road with a sign.

You probably know I work in a medical clinic that provides health care for the homeless.

If people could just follow me around for a single day, it would open their eyes to the realities of life in the homeless community.

The most important thing to remember about homeless people is that they are people. People just as deserving of dignity, kindness, and respect as anyone who has a roof over their heads.

I can't tell you how many of my patients have expressed gratitude that they have a place where they can go and be treated like a human being. I don't treat my patients grudgingly, like recipients of charity reluctantly given, but as people with whom I have a relationship, and am always glad to see.

I'm glad you're off the streets, LFR. There is hope for everyone, no matter how low they have been beaten down by life...

To be treated with dignity.

Thank you and the best of the Holiday season to you

I can not tell you how many times I had things thrown at me from car window or hear people yell "Get a Job". I can tell you that it hurts.

Many of my patients have jobs; they're usually those 'Labor Ready' things. You know - work today, get paid today - so it earns them an income. But it's rarely enough to get them off the streets. Not when you need first-and-last-month's rent in advance, credit check, damage deposit, criminal background check, all of that.

Don't anybody here ever demand that a homeless person "get a job". Or I will reach through this computer monitor and throttle you!

Bookmarking

You can not believe how many little places there are local that try to help. Some of your local thrift stores have a special "back room" just for giving out cloths to the homeless. And some restaurants may be restaurants by day, but when the sun goes down, they become a soup kitchen.

They are hard to find, sometimes it is hard for the homeless to, but they do some of the best help.
For example there is a group in Springfield Mo called Moccasin Mile Outreach, they do have a facebook page. They mainly help with homeless vets. They look at each person differently. Because they see that every case is deferent.
Then there is a place in Tucson AZ called Guadeloupe's that give out food for the homeless. I mean that they make a large sack lunch that will last all day long so you can have lunch dinner and breakfast out of it.

Just look around and help them in your community. The best way to help is in your own back yard.

The one in my community provides a wide range of services and has now taken over operation of the local 120-bed homeless shelter (which has been filled to capacity since the advent of colder weather in September).

Today we served 480 Christmas dinners at the resource center and provided toys for all the children. The volunteer coordinator for the event was worried about not having enough help because only about 30 volunteers had signed up in advance. But the center has a website and FB page and is very good at networking throughout the community, so the coordinator needn't have worried. Well over 100 people showed up to volunteer.

We also have a quarterly outreach to veterans that follows the Stand Down for Homeless Veterans model. The veterans outreach is independent of the resource center, but the center's director happens to serve as co-chair of the committee that runs the outreach program.

For anyone looking for info on resources available in a community, the web makes it a lot easier to find these days.

I remember when there were very few homeless in this country.

I keep $5 bills in my car to hand out when i see someone with a sign by the roadside.

Last edited Tue Dec 25, 2012, 11:51 PM - Edit history (2)

Sadly there are laws in many placed that will arrest them and fine you. Also be careful of the amount. Money is a blessing and a curse. If a darker homeless person see you give the money and see mutable bills, the person you gave it to becomes a target.
The streets are a dark and dangerous place.

If you do give money, please make it 1 bill and folded up. That way the amount cannot be seen by others.

Dark person=street slang for bad guy, thug, all around bullies

If you hear a street person say "He's a dark." to another homeless person about someone, you may want to watch the one they are talking about to.

Also their is different slang for different areas of the country. If you volunteer/work at any of the soup kitchens or shelters, you will pick it up.

Usually, there aren't any other homeless people around. The guys i encounter are usually at intersections with traffic lights. Sometimes, I think it's an organized effort, that they take turns at different intersections. One time i saw two guys together, they were quite friendly with each other.

It's always one bill, folded.

down in Kansas City. All he wanted was a cigarette. I gave him a couple packs and we had a good chat. He was a wonderful person!! But now I feel really guilty about only giving him cigarettes.

One cigarette goes for 25-50 cents or 1 can of soda.

out on the street.

I forgot that due to my great eye sight in the dark. Reason I have to have to have sun glasses. But that is a big tool on the street! And the batteries are great because some homeless have radios. A radio is very important because you need to know what is going on around you. Knowing the weather and news can mean a lot.

but I purchased 5 of the Red Cross equivalents last year and gave them to one of the local missions I have a relationship with. With these, you don't need batteries, plus they have hand cranks and USB ports to charge cell phones. I have one for my house also for when the power goes out.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12252547&clickid=prod_cs

Something you can throw on and another to cover your pack and sleeping stuff. An umbrella helps, but the other is better for sleeping in if there is rain at night. The rain is the best time to sleep without getting hassled. No one want to be out in it.

That is also why large garbage sacks are great! The large black ones to place your stuff in and hide it at night. Dark colors are your friend at night. Many a nasty group of teenagers walked right by me, with their bats in their hands looking for targets.

That is what I was hoping would happen. People sharing and looking at things they don't use or need.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So many want to help during the holiday season, but these are great ideas for all year around.

The holiday season is when most of what is needed comes in. Summer is the hard time. It is hot and is the hardest time to find a place to sleep without getting hassled.

clothes acceptable? I have some things that have hardly been worn. I have some shoes that were worn once and a couple of coats I worse once or twice.

I'm not sure where to take things in this area but I'll look around. I can certainly purchase some toiletry items at the Family Dollar Store to give as well. We cut back on Christmas gift giving this year - we didn't really need or even want anything in particular so I could use some of that money to help.

I need to find a place where I can volunteer to help.

As for finding a place to donate and help at, you can use FB and google search.

And thank you!

to my sisters, but frankly, they don't need them either and could really afford to buy their own. I'll do some checking around for an organization.

I'm going to start keeping some of these things on hand for the people who come to my office. Thanks.

It's avery public spot, which makes it safer because the police are always patrolling this street for hookers. FOr some reson, they don't roust her from this spot, although I have seen them roust homeless men.

You post inspired me to take a heavy long length peacoat I have has hangin in my closet for 6 years(waiting to lose weight so it will git me0 and walk it down to her tonight.

She was amazed. She kept asking me if I was sure or if I wanted to change my mind.

I had considered asking her in on the cold or rainy nights but after talking to her on other occasions, I found she is an unmedicated schizophenic. I had two others like that in my life and they can be really touchy to deal with.

And keeping them in sight can keep other things from happening. Many a homeless women is found dead in dark alleyways. And mental illness is a BIG problem. When you can't afford the meds, you can't get them. And getting on a program takes time. So, till one can get the meds and get stable it is hard to get work. It is one of those vicious cycles.

This is something I will definitely want to remember for later. Thank you.

Although I barely have enough money to take care of myself, I would like to help others less fortunate and I have some of the items on your list.

I even have my mothers prosthetic leg but found they can't be used in this country for some reason. I haven't searched for a way to donate it for years (I forgot I still had it until just now), but if a homeless person could use it, I would be delighted.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to get items to people who need them. Should I contact a homeless shelter and ask?

If they can't use it, they will have contact info for those that can.

I've been close to homeless at times, but never actually on the street. Bookmarking to save and spread around as widely as possible.

I always worry about enabling an addiction by giving cash. I usually research the charity to ensure it doesn't pay for some asshole's shack-rabbit condo.

Thanks so much for posting. We're in the process of moving so all of our stuff is in storage. We're also in Tucson now so as soon as we get moved and our stuff unloaded and put away, I'm looking for the nearest shelter to help out and donate. I can't imagine being a woman and homeless. It's just not safe for women in this country anymore and to be homeless? I can't imagine. I would never sleep except through exhaustion. I have old glasses, sun glasses, an old walkman with batteries, I can donate dark blankets, coats, dress clothes for interviewing and will even donate money to go to Goodwill to get whatever I miss. Thanks so much and good luck.

They are one of those thrift stores that have one of those "back rooms" I have talked about in some of the other posts.

You have given me much to think about.

I am involved in a local program to help feed the homeless, and it's something I get great joy from. I think very hard about what I will fix when I am cooking for them. I try very hard to make things that I myself would want to eat. I get many compliments on my food. I also consider these people our guests, at the homeless shelter. I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like for them.

I've been doing this for about four years now, and I should be doing more. I appreciate your suggestions. I know that homelessness is a huge problem, with multiple causes, and few things make me angrier than the people who airily proclaim that the homeless are homeless by choice. I can tell, as I'm serving food to our guests, that some have been on the streets for a long time, some are new to this, and some . . . well I can't tell. I do believe that each one has an individual story and that they probably would much rather have a permanent place to live. I try very hard to treat the guests with dignity and respect. Because at the end of my shift I get to go home to my small home, but it's mine, and I'm in almost no danger of losing it and living on the street. They don't have this luxury.

So now I think I'll contact the homeless shelter I work with, and ask what they most need in the clothes closet and get some of those things.

I am going to share this list with my friends.

Thank you so much! This is brilliant and so lovely of you.

you can match them up with things you have and you can buy things that are desperately needed. If this month's list asks for a type of diapers or formula I can clip coupons, shop and drop off exactly what people really need.

I loved when Occupy Sandy ran that wedding registry and you could give the actual product someone asked for and needed.

provide public place where people can use a john, shower, do laundry and fill water bottles.

People who do not want to provide at least that much are inhuman, IMO

As far as canned goods. look for those pop top cans, too, just in case someone loses his or her can opener.

thank you

The are few and far between, but they are out there. They are walk in centers also called day centers, they have washers, dryers, showers and a few have cloths banks or free stores to get cloths to the homeless that are needing them. Some even go as far as to give a meal a day. They are few and far between, but they are life savers when you need those services and need information for help.

Kick

We have alot of those items laying around that I'll pack up and take to our local church that helps the homeless.

Last night we invited our local homeless to our station house for a christmas dinner, the look of gratefullness on their faces was priceless.

I confess I don't know. I googled it and the only hits I got were "did you mean messenger bag" which would make sense since you mentioned paperwork. But I actually have two old messenger bags with shoulder straps that I was wondering what to do with before I read your post.

I just copied the lead note into MS Word and I'm in the process of proofreading it and fixing the typos and spelling errors. That one was especially confusing.

When I'm finished I'll send a clean copy of the OP to Lady Freedom Returns by PM and see what (if anything) she wants to do with it. Maybe someone has already beat me to it, but I'm kind of a compulsive proofreader. Right now I'm fixing it up the way I'd repost it on FreeCycle Cafe and elsewhere.

Thanks!

A few new ideas for my list.

Here's one: one gallon freezer weight zip lock bags, for keeping personal gear dry. (Old camper's trick.)

While I already donate regularly, there are several items, etc. that I'd not thought about before. So thanks for educating me by sharing your first hand knowledge.

I hope that your own situation is now better and secure. The idea that anyone in America has no bed at night is something that both amazes me and angers me. We have to insist that we all do better!!!

Can you give me some insight into why some homeless people don't want to go to the shelters that exist? We have a very large, well funded homeless shelter in San Antonio. The shelter has employees and volunteers who actually go out into the homeless community, especially when it gets cold, to try to persuade people to come to the shelter. There are many homeless that simply will not come. I know of one older gentleman who several people have tried to help, and he's not open to receiving help. Is there anything that can be done so that more people would take advantage of what is available????

During my 3 weeks on the street, I found out a lot I never knew about the homeless, as well as totally changing my own opinion.

Many shelters are tied to religious organizations, and often have a "catch" to being able to stay the night...you have to sit through prayer services. I can see why some would not care to have that shoved down their throats, as they already feel like they have been abandoned by "the powers that be".

Another is shelter "rules" only allowing one "bag" into the shelter. I lost better than 3/4 of my clothes due to such rules...it's either get it packed down to one bag to get in and abandon the rest, or be denied entrance.

The one thing that really chaps me is people who have no idea of how the system works complaining about the homeless...I have a dear friend online who works at a convenience store and she went on a big Facebook rant about homeless buying candy and chips with food stamps when they "obviously" could have bought "more nutritious" things. In my case, no food allowed in the night shelters, period, and where are you going to put sacks of groceries so you won't have them stolen from you during the day? In my case, the quick marts were right around the corner from the shelters. The grocery stores? 2 mile walk one way. The entire system negates trying to do anything more than surviving.

I guess I should pull my thoughts together on this as well and make a lengthy post about it. I felt I managed to slip through every damned crack in the system.

Even the best-intentioned people in the world don't seem to understand how the system is rigged, as you say, to negate doing anything more than surviving.

The shelter in San Antonio is not affiliated with any religious organization, but I'm sure there are "rules" and those rules probably conflict with some of the instances that you are sharing here. That's too bad. You'd think the people in charge of the shelter could assign temporary lockers or something perhaps.

It's really "easy" for someone like myself to believe that we understand the needs of the homeless, but there's no better teacher than to learn from those who have actually been there and done it themselves. I appreciate your insight.

I wish we could do better as a nation.

You don't have a way to keep it cool. Many shelters have a no food policy, even can food. You have to get what you can. Oh and supermarkets have a thing against packs by the way. Many cases the homeless only have the convenient store to get food at.
You see, the places to get food are spread around and you have to get to them. Many are located in places that are dangerous to sleep in so you end up going across town to eat then back to sleep. Not that easy when you are on foot.

One of the reasons some homeless won't go into shelters is due to having to loss a bag. If you have a page and a messenger bag that carries all the paper work you need, guess what? You have to dump stuff that you need.

One reason is how long they have been on their own. Many have been hurt so bad that they can't trust other. Others are scared for what little they have. Some shelters have a one bag policy, that means if you have 2 small bags, you can only take one in with you. This is also the case for food stuff. Many shelters do not allow food to be brought in. You don't want to loss that so they don't go in.

Many have misdemeanor warrants for fly signs and trespassing for sleeping in places like parks past the time they are open. Many Shelters do background checks on those that come for help. They don't want to go to jail so they don't go in.

Then some have small pocket knives that are used for protection and for eating utensils, are afraid that the will get confiscated. Many shelters will tale them away and not give them back, some will take but give them back when you leave. But once bitten, twice shy. They won't go back.

Then we get into those that have pets. Many shelters have rules that pets are not allowed. The homeless have a choice, get rid of the dog or cat, or stay out. They are so close to their pets they will freeze before letting them go. Those animals are the last thing of family and love many have. So the shelter won't their family in, they won't go.

Then we have the religious aspect. There are many that don't want to be made to worship, many have become atheist due to feeling that God hates them. Others, because they are not Christian. They can not bring themselves to convert, to say, for shelter.

Then we enter the group that are VERY anti-social, will not talk, will have nothing to do with anyone or anything. Many times it is due to mental illness. Other times they have just been hurt that bad.

Were in a church nativity play, so I went. The church was having a warm sock drive for the homeless.

I thought it was a very worthy project.

to bring clothing and other needed items. The reason is that many of them regularly distribute meals on certain days at certain times. Mine passes out really great sack lunches every Monday, and at that time coats, shoes and sox, toiletries, etc. are also made available. I think we do a pretty good job, but if it's OK by you, Lady Freedom Returns, I'll forward your post to the person who organizes this work. Word of mouth is always great.

I appreciate the time you took to clue us in and am very, very happy that your own life has taken a turn for the better.

Huge K&R

That is why I wrote it, to get the word out.

thank you

Would you mind if I steal it for FB?

I want to get this infomation out and about. people can only help when they know what help is needed.

I'm one of these people that give and get too damn many gifts but I've never "been there" and you clued me in. Best of luck to you.

For those that are thinking of helping homeless but not sure how.