This year hasn’t been kind to anyone; we face a global pandemic that has already claimed the lives of more than 900k people. Moreover, because the lockdown started to prevent the disease’s spread, several other problems have arisen.
Financial issues being on top of the list, people have lost their jobs, and it has become very difficult for some people to maintain a proper income. However, one group of people who are significantly affected by the pandemic and aren’t getting the recognition and help they need are homeless people.
Homeless people can’t protect themselves from the pandemic, don’t have any income source, and can’t get food. Therefore, we must be thankful for the shelter we have and make an effort to help the homeless in these challenging times.
Here are ten effective ways in which you can be helpful for homeless people during this pandemic:
Donate money to the cause:
One of the easiest ways to help the homeless right now is to donate money to organizations trying to help homeless people. However, before you donate your money, it is very important to research and determine whether your money will be used in the right place.
Moreover, local homeless shelters are usually funded by donations and NGOs; however, most homeless shelters probably don’t have enough resources to help homeless people during these scary times. Therefore, if you want your money to go to good use, you can also donate some money to your local homeless shelter, and encourage your friends and family to help.
Volunteer at your local homeless shelter:
The lockdown has left most of us in a financially weak state, and it might not be possible for most people to donate money to homeless shelters in their area. Still, there are other ways in which you can help the homeless out.
Even more than donations and resources, homeless shelters are lacking manpower. Therefore, you could volunteer at your local homeless shelter to help. This is a great way for young people to help, since they are relatively less susceptible to the virus, and by using the proper safer gear, they can remain safe while helping those in need.
Give them emotional support:
Though homeless people have to face many problems, one that they are mostly affected by is loneliness. Especially during the pandemic, when a lot of people are just staying at home.
Therefore, you should also try to give homeless people some emotional support. Show kindness and talk to them from time to time. This will make them feel less lonely, and it is an excellent way to help homeless people.
Moreover, you can also share a socially distant joint with homeless people. Weed can help homeless people relax and let go of their stress. Therefore, check out this dispensary to get some good quality cannabis strains.
Get homeless people food:
Usually, most homeless people can get food at shelters or from cheap street food vendors; however, since both of these are not common these days, many homeless people stay hungry and can’t get food to eat.
Therefore, making some meals and giving them to homeless people will help them keep their energy up and help them protect themselves against the virus.
Moreover, you can also donate groceries and shelf-stable foods to any operating homeless shelters in your area to feed homeless people.
Donate personal protection gear:
Since homeless people live on the streets and don’t have any place to self-quarantine, they are more susceptible to the coronavirus. Moreover, if they haven’t had enough food and don’t have medication, their immune system might also be impaired.
Most homeless people don’t have any protective gear either; therefore, you can help by getting them masks and hand sanitizers. You can also donate safety gear to homeless shelters and organizations that are trying to help homeless people.
Help homeless shelters find more space:
Apart from resources and manpower, one thing that homeless shelters need the most is more space. Since homeless shelters have to maintain social distancing, they can’t give shelter to as many homeless people as they usually could.
Therefore, one way to help homeless people is to help shelters find more space. If you have a new property during the pandemic, you can allow the homeless shelter to use it temporarily until the pandemic is over.
Even if you have an empty plot, you can put up tents and provide shelter for homeless people.
Contact your local government officials:
Apart from helping homeless people yourself, it would help if you also encouraged others to do so, especially those in your local government. You should make calls and write emails to get the attention of the elected officials in your area.
You may feel like you alone will not make much of a difference, but trying can still be useful. Moreover, if you can alert the officials about the severity of the matter, they will surely help homeless people.
Moreover, the population of homeless people has somewhat increased because of the pandemic. People don’t have enough money to pay rent, and hence they are evicted. Therefore, you should also urge the government to stop evictions until the pandemic is over.
Raise awareness about the cause:
With all the problems that are going on, the hardships faced by homeless people don’t even cross most peoples’ minds. There is a serious lack of awareness about this issue, and one way to help is to tell more and more people about it.
The best way to raise awareness is through social media. You can write informative posts and make videos. Posting videos of yourself helping homeless people and volunteering at shelters will also motivate others to join the cause.
Start a Kickstarter campaign:
If you don’t have funds to spare to help out the homeless, you can organize a virtual fundraiser. You can start a campaign on Kickstarter or Gofundme and raise a significant amount of money. Moreover, when you are using social media to raise awareness about the issue, you should also add a link to the donation page.
You should also contact Instagram, and tik-tok influencers, to help you raise awareness about the problem. If you get someone with many followers to share your posts, you can get a lot of traction on your Kickstarter campaign.
Get medicines to homeless people:
Another essential thing that homeless people need these days is medicine. It would be best if you aimed to get some everyday use of painkillers, cough medicine, and fever medication to local homeless shelters so that they can take better care of the homeless.
Moreover, when the vaccines finally start to be distributed, the homeless people are probably not going to afford them. Therefore, consider getting some vaccines and donating them to the local homeless shelter as well.
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