How to help to a homeless person right now in a sustainable way?

#Inclusion #homeless #mentalhealth #social #innovations

Many people want to help but they are afraid to approach to the people in big need.

For example, a homeless person, because his or her condition can be so bad, that you’d rather just look away.

That’s understandable and there are as many reactions and sensibilities as there are people (and animals, even plants) on earth.

First step is to acknowledge how you would feel when approaching to a homeless person, given they might not want help. Or they don’t want help from you, but would accept it from someone else. That doesn’t mean they can sense if somebody is a bad person : ) It’s just like that for some reason, you may resemble their much hated uncle etc.

So try applying a “small pieces consist a big picture”, start with small steps.

And there’s planning and team-work

Small “yeses” leads to a bigger yes.

Even if something disgusts you, like very poor hygienic condition of a homeless person, there’s a solution to everything — just think and plan in advance. For example if there's something like homeless person has some open wounds, defecation all over etc, well first call the emergency, do not, as a citizen, get involved into something that requires medical expertise, and is a job of the state you pay your taxes to.

Though we’re used that everything is terrible, check out - you might be surprised finding that there is a good community organisation, non profit, charity, church, sport club that is taking care of homeless in your town. So you can simply report to them and call them for help.

If you prefer to do something yourself, something that doesn’t include medical care, you can first supply yourself with equipment, people and space which will increase your motivation to help.

And think of the whole support chain, not just what you individually (or with your friends) can do for a particular homeless person.

But, don’t make the fact that many countries, including perhaps yours, simply do not treat homeless people an excuse. That’s just a sign that you need to gather people and influence politicians by repeating that your community need a proper shelter and care for the homeless. So, see, it’s already easier, no need to demand to solve this on highest level, as a social service provided by the national level.

It’s true that some local communities are poor and that you’d more probably get some real care for homeless people from the national agencies and services instead from the budget or any other means of the local community. That’s ok, whatever solves the trouble in environment of limited options and scarce resources.

Beware that it could lead to displacement of those people, from their local community, which might not be ok in long-term.

In that way, they could loose their potential basis and familiar environment. This could worsen their position and potential for recovering. So, think before acting, sometimes in absence of system, in trying to help, you can deteriorate their position.

That would be against the science of social inclusion and community based care. They would loose even those few people who were helping them.

Ironically it could also help them coming back to their senses or regaining the strength and motivation, one never knows, because, maybe a threat to their well-being was in that particular community.

Unfortunately, the problem of homelessness isn’t exactly linked with the lack of a ‘house’ but of a real ‘home’ (social support, stable financial means, positive influences, mental health, perspective on life, intertwined within some web of social solidarity), so even if externally, people try to help through ‘technical fixes’ the deeper troubles will always resurface, bringing people to chose the street as a more viable and better option… Some group of Romani people (“gypsies”), for example, may encounter all sorts of problems, but because they belong to a community, they are at home in society in some way. (Juliette Tocino-Smith)

I am just suggesting trying first on your local level, before advocating on the top.

It is of utmost importance to talk to homeless, to listen to them, to nvolve them before drafting solutions.

They have a problem, but they are also the biggest part of a solution.

Are they really homeless or they don’t want to live in their house for some justified reason such as domestic violence? Do they just spend time and work on streets by begging? That’s not the same as homelessness, people tent to mix those, while in reality every homeless person has a set of issues, problems are very individual, it’s hard to generalize… Do they have some mental disorder? Some psychological issue that make everyone avoid them (e.g psychopathy)? Are they abused by some criminal group?

At this point, even if you are very afraid of the homeless, you see that you can contribute, by engaging in the policy advocacy for development of the strategic solution to their life position.

If it looks like a mission impossible, just ignore the obstacles and negative picture or reality, that’s just a sign that you are starting down from the bottom. Well, everything has to start somewhere.

Please let me know if you are interested in this topic, share your experience, and if you started something, how’s it going?

Real life every day tip for helping now

I think it’s a good start to offer some food and warm tea or coffee. That doesn’t require too much energy, isn’t that stressful, and can help, also talk for a bit to a homeless person. Every day do a little thing and if everyone would do so, it would require certain amount of coordination, so organize with people willing to help.

Policy advocacy tip for sustainable help

Tell your budget decision makers that there aren’t so many homeless people so it’s not expensive or mission impossible to take care of them with public funding.