Holidays and Homeless Help: Ideas for Assisting the Unhoused in Little Edgewater and Beyond
By Steven Larsen, one of our reporters from Evanston
There are a lot of difficult days faced by homeless persons throughout Chicago, New York, London, Moscow, and many other cities, especially, in the world. There is a high concentration of homeless in cities because people believe there are more services for the unkeyed in such places.
The problem is, there are a lot more homeless people in those cities... So when a church provides free dinner to the unhoused, it is not uncommon for over 100 people to show up.
Some of these ideas come from observation, some from interviews, and some from the research. As a good qualitative researcher (really a journalist lol) I think am an authority on how people in pantries, community centers, and churches should be doing their job. Blame me for any errors in these lists.
BTW, thank you for listening to some random kid tell you how to do your job.
There are general guidelines for certain foods that should be avoided—both at a sit-down meal and for sack lunches and survival bags to go. Sweets are a bad idea in large quantity, of course, because of the problem of diabetes and obesity and lack of exercise among the unkeyed persons out there.
Since such a HUGE percentage of homeless people have HIGH incidence of diabetes and related health issues (with legs, feet, mobility, obesity) cookies and donuts are nice but are dangerous.
Pies, cookies, cakes, and the like are okay once in a while, but OOPS they can be deadly. Some helpers of the homeless community do not actually know this, and it is important information. Many homeless do not have a doctor. Do not have health insurance. Do not know how or where to get health insurance or medical services. Also not so great: rice, white bread, etc.
Pantries and churches often give away a ton of items to the homeless (and the maybe-homeless) who are getting sandwiches or dinner. Some items that are really random and just get thrown out in a dumpster around the corner could be avoided. Here is the “NO” list of items…
NO:
Socks and caps and gloves so ridiculously small kittens cannot wear them
Snacks like granola bars and trail mix that are hard to chew
Bottles and more bottles of hand sanitizer
Shaving cream without razors, tiny bars of soap, etc.
No-food-value “foods” like fruit snacks, fruit rolls, and candy
Tiny toothpaste samples that can be used maybe once
Any purposeless liquids like mouthwash that simply spill all over everything…
…including fruit drink boxes and liquid hand soap
Insulting stop-gap items like powder you mix in water to not feel hungry
(why the hell not just give the dude something to eat???)
Sometimes, it seems like the staff members and volunteers are just trying to fill the bags with many items to make it appear as though they are really giving many, many wonderful things to the unkeyed persons in need.
There are in fact things that, yes, should be in a survival bag. Here is the “YES” list.
YES:
Toilet paper and kleenex
Small pad of paper and pens
Toilet paper and kleenex
Breathe mints and cough lozenges
Toilet paper and Kleenex
Anti-perspirant deodorant that actually works
Bus and train passes
“Chap Stick” lip balm and similar aids for winter health
Fresh fruit and substantial foods like rolls
Large and extra large men’s socks and gloves and hats
(women will wear them too… try to get a basic color like black)
Lists of free meals, neighborhood resources, and important phone numbers
Little cans and boxes of foods that can be opened and eaten without preparation
Sandwiches, salads, plus coupons for hamburgers and coffee
Oh, and toilet paper and kleenex
Beneficial items are great ideas for gifts and for survival bags. Sometimes, the unhoused travel around with so much equipment they do not need. Sometimes people try to help and will actually ARGUE with a homeless person who does not want something stupid like hand warmers (unless they want them, of course) or socks for a kitten.
THE ABOVE BEING SAID, THERE ARE SOME AWESOME CHURCHES AND PANTRIES AND COMMUNITY CENTERS FOR HOMELESS PERSONS AND OTHER PEOPLE IN NEED. THEY ARE TO BE CONGRATULATED FOR NOT ONLY THEIR GREAT INSIGHT BUT ALSO FOR LISTENING TO THE NEEDS OF “TRAVELLERS” OUT THERE… UNHOUSED AND DESPERATE TO SURVIVE.
Please treat people with dignity. Try to consider having policies whereby the unhoused are allowed to trade for things they need. Example: Jenny and Mike have a lot of socks but NO gloves. A friend has gloves but NO CTA pass. Working together, they will make it.
The holidays can be a terrible time indeed for homeless persons. Some are miles away from their family. Some are broke. Some will get little or no kindness.
People assisting the homeless need to be understanding and need to put their own challenges and disappointment aside. The unkeyed person you are helping is at a disadvantage… may be sleeping in a garage or on a train… may be exhausted and depressed…
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Editor’s note: These are some wise and helpful ideas for helping the unkeyed and the unshowered out there… You as helpers are to be commended for taking on the challenge of helping a huge population of people who should not even exist. Nobody should be sleeping outside this winter. Nobody should be waking up Christmas morning on a bus. Nobody should be falling asleep on New Year’s Eve in an abandoned building with a jacket for a blanket.
A big THANK YOU goes out to the social workers and street helpers and other counselors and support people out there assisting the homeless! Staff and volunteers at pantries? You are to be thanked and blessed! You are awesome! You are meeting the challenges of working with a very diverse and hard-to-help bunch of people who are now under attack in many communities where they can be harassed, ticketed, and even jailed just for being in that terrible condition known as “homeless.”
And THANK YOU to the writers and helpers and supporters and readers of StreetSense! It is your hard work and your perseverance that is helping to keep almost 70,000 homeless brothers and sisters alive in Chicago alone. Plus the migrants (all of whom by nature are homeless)… plus the homeless maybe homeless in cities and towns around the world!