What Can Be Done To Help Your Local Homeless People? Well, Here Are Some Simple, Free And/Or Cheap Ways You Can Get Involved!

Here is a list of items any homeless person would be happy receiving. Many/majority of these items can be found at your local dollar store or surplus store for cheap! Some items you probably have extra in your closet (perhaps unneeded or unwanted clothes or food). Some items would not cost you a cent even (example: make a list of local organizations that help the homeless with phone numbers). A care package worth 10 dollars can do more good than giving a homeless person a $20 gift, especially if you include local resources. I', sure you can even write off care package receipts for your taxes (get the homeless guy/gal to sign for it if you have too, an "X" is a legal signature for people who are illiterate).

POSSIBLE "CARE PACKAGE" ITEMS:

-can openers
-canned food
-dried nuts and meats
-sleeping bags/blankets
-towels/facecloths
-camping cook utensils
-fresh bottled water
-"Swiss Army" style pocket knife/tool
-bus/subway tokens
-bleach/alcohol/peroxide for sterilizing
-maps to local resources
-matches/lighters
-rolling papers (many homeless pick up cigarette butts)
-carb bars or packaged snacks
-dried coffee, sugar, tea bags, salt
-water proof packaging
-disposable rain coat
-duffle/gym bag
-tarp/sleeping mat
-batteries
-flashlight
-gloves, hat and/or scarf (if winter)
-pocket radio (to hear weather warnings)
-digital watch (to keep appointments)
-pocket calculator (to figure price rates)
-toothpaste/toothbrush
-soap/mini shampoo
-MRE (army/military meal kits with toiletries, forks, etc)
-nail clippers
-skin cream/lotion
-antibiotic ointment or spray
-"we care" greeting & list of local helping orgs phone numbers
-lice/louse killers
-foot treatments (athletes foot, sores, warts, clippers)
-talcum powder
-razors/shaving cream
-band aids
-socks/underwear/t-shirt
-gift certificate (McDonalds, Wal-Mart, groceries, etc)
-pain killers (headaches, tooth aches, aching feet, etc)
-premade appointment with local homeless worker
-list of local food banks, shelters, showers, etc
-PLUS so much more!

Try not to give homeless people prepared food you made, many homeless will not trust this food (has been past poisoning of homeless in this manor). Make sure food products are prepackaged by manufactures or it may just be tossed in the garbage. I myself will accept sandwiches when I am panhandling, but I simply throw them out once the person is gone. It is not personal...

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE LATELY TO HELP THE HOMELESS??????

How about making a plan for someone to build a really cheap bachelor apartment in their house as an extra income, plus cheaper it is, the cheaper they can rent to local homeless with help of local homeless workers (they can work with the client to make sure your property is not damaged or soiled, plus you could arrange auto deduction of rent payments from disability, welfare of housing programs).

If everyone who owned a home created a small bachelor apartment in their basement, they could rent it out for 250+ per month, a bank would easily give a added mortgage if you are going to profit from it. All it would need is a kitchenette unit (all-in-1 fridge, stove top and sink) with area for small couch/TV, bedroom and a 3 piece washroom. You could do this project yourself at Home Depot, they may even give you a deal if you are helping local homeless, maybe you could start the Home The Homeless project locally with Home Depot's help!

Donate to local food banks! Sure you have a generic crunched up box of macaroni and cheese you can part with! How about that can where the label feel off last year? How about that imported ham like meat substance you would not dare buy again?

Go through your cupboards and get rid off the junk you will never use and take it to the food bank! They will also take toilet paper, tooth paste, tea bags, coffee, powdered milk, blankets, towels, etc.

Focus on creating local resource pages of the street outreach programs as many homeless people are not aware of these services. Many shelters are afraid to have more exposure (or it costs too much to advertise) as many people use their services already, but they still should be listed on the internet for others to find.

Create a list of all the local food banks, squats, gov't housing, soup kitchens, walk-in health clinics, drop-ins, churches that help, local homeless organizations (Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc), local homeless workers, local emergency shelters, local place to take a free shower, local used clothing stores, places to use a phone for free, local education workers, reading/writing (illiteracy) guidance counselors, mental health workers, addiction resources (Alcoholics Anonymous, NA, etc), life guidance counselors, etc. Then make a web page and post on some free hosting service like http://www.GeoCities.com and then you can submit your URL to the homeless search engine on HERE for the world to find! Make sure you link to our site!

**HINTS** Often there are programs that can help in paying rent, utilities, or bills. Emergency assistance programs may help with temporary shelter, or security deposits and/or first month's rent. Sometimes prevention and/or emergency assistance programs are operated by the state, county, or local division of housing assistance, or by the division of social/human services. Try looking in the government listings in your phone book for these agencies, even call them for help making pamphlets/handouts. Churches and non-profit organizations also offer emergency help. Sometimes these organizations are listed under "crisis services" in the yellow pages of the phone book. Remember that you are targeting age groups from runaway kids to elder homeless veterans.

Talk with new homeless people in your area. They are people too, maybe there is a simple solution to their homelessness. Don't be afraid to rent a room to a homeless person, you should be able to tell if the person is to your liking after a discussion (maybe coffee or lunch).

Tell local homeless people they can go to any library (free to use a computer and internet access) and visit http://www.SpareSomeChange.com where they can do their own searches to find the low-income resources they wish to tackle first.

If you own a website (or are a webmaster), please link to us (many nice looking images to use, HTML code ready for copy and paste). Let your local organization know about us (www.SpareSomeChange.com) so they can add their sites/pages! Tell your local newspaper or radio station about our online service available to all.