By Faith Montalvo
What do you do when you see a homeless person at a traffic light with a sign that says “please help?”
How about when a person with hanging, dirty clothes, and unkempt hair is sitting on the sidewalk? How about an elderly gentleman pushing a shopping cart filled with all his belongings?
What should you do?
I’ll be honest — I did not help them either. I’ve looked away from them. I walked faster so they wouldn’t be able to talk to me. I rolled up my car window and checked my phone at the stoplight. I’ve even made a detour and crossed the street so that I wouldn’t run into someone. I have done it all to ignore them.
Sometimes, my excuse is the anxiety I feel when I have to talk to someone I don’t know. Other times, it’s because I don’t have anything useful to give besides cash.
But here’s the thing: if you help them in a small way, it matters to them and could save their life. It shows them that they are seen and heard, and that’s something that every person needs.
Here are eight ways you can help a person experiencing homelessness:
1. Buy Gift Cards Instead of Giving Away Cash
About one-third of people experiencing homelessness are suffering from a substance abuse disorder, according to American Addiction Centers. Around two-thirds have lifetime histories of drug or alcohol use disorders.
Giving cash to people potentially engulfed with these disorders and addictions could be an avenue for more substance abuse. I’m sure that many of you, including me, have been warned not to give cash to people who are homeless because they could use the money on drugs.
But one way around this is to buy gift cards to fast food places or grocery stores. This gives them autonomy over what they want to eat, but it also gives you some control over how they spend the money you give them.
2. Keep Extra Snacks and Water in Your Car
Most of the people who are homeless who I come across now are often holding signs by a traffic stoplight. Having a case of water bottles or snacks in your car will make someone’s day.
Many people are in survival mode. Their belongings are always at risk of being stolen, and they may not have eaten in days. Even though it’s just one water bottle, a bag of chips, or a granola bar, everything they can get is important.
3. Print Out Homeless Resource Guides
Many people experiencing homelessness do not know where homeless resources are or how to access them.
The Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative (THHI) has a printable resource guide that includes a variety of resources a homeless person may need: outreach programs, shelters, help for veterans, substance abuse services, identification services, hotlines, legal services, and health providers.
If you have any extra paper, print it out and give it to someone.
4. Take 10 Minutes to Buy Them a Meal
If there’s a food establishment nearby and you have a few extra minutes in your schedule, take a minute to ask someone what they want to eat and if they could wait for you to bring it to them. Or buy them food you think would be good for them and surprise them!
I was driving in a shopping center once, and there was a woman sitting on a curb near a Starbucks. It was very easy to go to the drive-thru to buy her a sandwich.
5. Create a Care Package
This can be a great help to people who are homeless, and you can keep them in your car or bring them in your backpack. Care packages can include basically anything you would like to give out, and you can easily carry items in plastic or ziplock bags.
Here are some ideas to consider putting in a care package or just to carry around in your backpack:
- Non-perishable food, snacks, protein bars, and a water bottle.
- Hygiene items like soap, hand sanitizer, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, antibacterial/baby wipes, and menstruation products.
- A copy of THHI’s homeless resource guide.
- An encouraging note.
- A gift card.
6. Get Involved With Local Nonprofits and Campus Outreaches
If you’re able to take a few hours out of your day, volunteer at a local nonprofit or stay updated with The PEACE Volunteer Center on InvolveUT. PEACE has sometimes partnered with Feeding Tampa Bay, an organization that fights food insecurity.
Spartans Against Homelessness is a University of Tampa club that specifically serves people experiencing homelessness, though they are looking for students to lead the club so that it can be reinstated. You can contact the faculty advisor on InvolveUT to learn more.
Other local volunteer and donation opportunities include:
- Metropolitan Ministries has a wide variety of volunteer and outreach opportunities for people experiencing homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless, from kitchen and food to clothing and outreach.
- The Portico encompasses a block in downtown Tampa. It includes The Portico Cafe, which hires individuals transitioning out of homelessness, addiction, and incarceration. There are various volunteer opportunities at The Portico, including their Sunday breakfast. You can also support them by donating or buying their coffee.
- The Faith Cafe primarily focuses on providing meals. They also have a space for people to shower, distribute donated clothes, and refer people to other resources.
- The Salvation Army always needs donations. They provide shelter, disaster relief, tools to break cycles of poverty, adult rehabilitation, and advocacy and help for human trafficking victims.
7. Stay Safe
I once co-led a homeless outreach group for about five months. We would go to downtown Tampa every week, and the people we encountered were always very friendly. But just like any stranger you may come across in your daily life, you don’t know people’s intentions, and it’s important to stay safe.
Samuel Ponce, assistant director of Campus Safety who has conducted homeless initiatives throughout his career, said you should be aware of your surroundings and prepared.
“I recommend approaching our homeless population as you would anyone you [do not know: With] respect, courteousness, and empathy,” Ponce wrote in an email. “You should be mindful of a person’s space, body language, and requests.”
Ponce said to introduce yourself, tell them your purpose, travel in groups, and trust your instincts.
I would add that if you are handing out anything from a car, make sure the doors are locked and prepare to roll up the window at any given point.
“The bottom line is to treat others as you would want to be treated,” Ponce wrote.
According to an article published by ABC News, people who are homeless are more likely to be victims of a violent crime than to commit one. “High-profile” cases that are reported on may cause unnecessary fear of people experiencing homelessness.
While we need to be careful and cautious, this shouldn’t stop us from helping homeless people altogether.
8. Don’t Assume Somebody Else Will Help
One of the most dangerous ideas we can believe is that someone else will do what we obviously should. I’ve often debated whether I should roll down my car window. Before I knew it, the stoplight turned green, and I missed my chance to help someone. I’ll then think: “Someone else will help them” as an excuse.
I mentioned earlier that anxiety sometimes gets in the way of helping someone, and that’s why I’ve wasted these valuable opportunities.
I’ve learned that the only way to get past this is to just roll down that window and say, “Excuse me, ma’am,” and explain what you can give her, hand the item to her, and move on. Take that one step towards that man on the sidewalk, gently say, “Excuse me, sir,” and do the same. Of course, do this after you’ve evaluated your safety first.
You know what you can buy, you know where you can go to volunteer or donate, and you know how you can be safer as you approach someone.
So, what will you do for that one person holding a cardboard sign for help?
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A care package can include anything from food and water to hygiene supplies. Photo courtesy of Faith Montalvo.