I was wondering if anyonedoes individual homeless work in their community and what?
345632
I donate frequently to the homeless shelter, work in the soup kitchen as a volunteer, etc.\nMost homeless shelters will gladly accept clothing, blankets, pillows, toilet paper, dishes, beds, and just about ANYTHING you can think of (toothbrushes, combs, soap).
802995
You are so narrow minded I am surprised the tiny brain that you have has got enough room to move around in that tiny head of yours.\n\nNot all homeless are there by choice. Not all homeless are idle or lazy. Not all homeless are drug takers alcoholics or mentally ill.\n\nI was homeless for 12 months whilst I was waiting for rented accommodation which I now have. The local authority have a long list of those waiting for a home, but housing shortages sometimes leads to a person becoming homeless.\n\nWhilst homeless I knew of several people who held down steady jobs earning their living, paying their taxes, contributing to society!\n\nUntil you have experienced it or even researched it don't get knocking the homeless because you might find that being homeless wasn't their choice in the majority of cases.\n\nThe reason for my homelessness was that the ex girlfriend I was with was being very unfaithful as I caught her with another man 3 days before we were due to get married.\n\nI made a success of my life setting up my own travel information business and am now a successful travel writer, does that appear to you as laziness? Bone Idle. Get off of your butt and do some research into a problem before you knock it mate! You could be the next homeless person. You can never tell what waits for you in the life pathway.\n\nQ. Were you being bone idle to use spell check as some of your spelling is slightly under par!
108906
Hi, \n\nyou should direct tyour question to the SCORE offices.  They are up to date on any grant money that may be available to start a community outreach housing program.  Good Luck
1002243
Go to a Shelter.  Once you are there, you can meet with a Case Manager who should be able to refer you to the other agencies who can assist you with food, clothing, showers,  medical, & a referral for a bed for the night.  Housing won't be easy, unless you have children with you, then you sometimes get help faster.  If you are a "party animal", the shelter probably isn't for you because of the rules in regards to alcohol & drugs (you'll be kicked out).  If you don't want housing or shelter, you can still live in the streets & feed yourself by collecting cans, trading services for money or goods (wash car windshield for a burger).  Many homeless people make  great night watchman in exchange for being allowed to stay on property & out of the limelight of the "regular" street crowd.  Many of them panhandle for money.  Some people can't make it without others, while some people prefer to go it alone.  The Churches do a lot to help the homeless community who have no ID or papertrail, while the other agencies help people who have a more easily accessible past history in regards to ID, Social Security, & a past history WITH a papertrail that is easily traced.  Being homeless is not a life sentence, but when you are actually out there in the streets, you feel as if you will be there forever!  Many are traumitized from this experience due to the violence & abuse by both the other street people & the System that was put in place to help, but the people who are working & volunteering in these places prey on the homeless, thinking they can get away with it.  If a person keeps trying & goes from place to place to place, eventually they will get the help they need...or die trying!  I spent a lot of nights hiding out in utility rooms & under vehicles to stay out of sight & safe.  In L.A. you can ride the bus all nite when the shelter is full or you missed the check in time.
223555
Sometime in the 70's or 80's, they kicked a whole bunch (we're talking oodles) of people out of mental hospitals.  They had nowhere to go except on the streets.  They're still there.  \n\nAlso, it's hard to get by these days!  It takes a lot to make a living.  Sometimes illnesses or other issues have an impact on our finances.  Not all homeless people are street beggars.  There are a great many who have jobs, live in cars/shelters and try to make ends meet.  Children, too.\n\nThis might be the land of opportunity, but it's really hard to get by when you're down on your luck and have few resources to help you.
175714
I have a mental illness and I was homeless when I became ill and could no longer work.  3 years went by before I could buy a home so I stayed in homeless shelters and the Salvation Army and even on the street.\n\nThen my Social Security Disability pension went through and I had to buy everything from scratch.  I had nothing....\n\nSome homeless people that carry signs and are on drugs and alcohol I hate.  There are some very evil homeless people out there and I understand why others hate homeless people.  \n\nI've lived at home for 7 years now, but I feel blessed that I earned good money while I could so I can benefit during the time when I am unable to work...
231865
I try to get beyond my initial reactions of fear or disgust. I remind myself that these people need compassion and understanding. I realize that I can't know all there is to know about them in one encounter and that the homeless are not one homogenous group. There are a variety of reasons for their status. \n\nI would not complain that they should leave a store, library, train or whatever. I hope I challenge myself to question my assumptions and become more giving to them. Sometimes I do give them money or a transit card or something to eat. (Once I offered a doggie bag with pizza in it to a homeless woman and was puzzled that she rejected it because she didn't like the flavor. It's hard not to judge, but by forcing myself to see that she needs dignity and can decide if she can decline an offer of food so be it.)\n\nLet these encounters help you become a better person.
951813
Sorry , you will have the PC police onto you , (PC police ! ah , ah, I've just realised what I wrote )\nyou have someone living down the lane ! when all those less fortunate have to make do with council funded hostel accomodation , tch ! I'm afraid you will have to go on a homeless awareness course , lunch provided  for vegan cyclists only .  ( yes I am bored )
1033372
Yes! I have done it and I know of people that can and have found people. I use tools myself to find people.
280101
You'll probably get all the info you need (and more) if you contact an administrator of an AK homeless shelter. Just look up 'Homeless Services' in the yellow pages, and ask for the administrator.
573698
Cool! I'm glad someone wants to help out their community.\n\n-stream/river/lake clean up (organize a team of people to pick up trash and debris)\n\n-found a food bank\n\n-place recycling bins in town-based buildings (city government, libraries, post office, etc.) and organize a pick-up service for collecting the items\n\n-hold a race at your local track to raise money for a local, charitable cause
793851
peoples self help housing
207404
Y not just ask Andrewrox22002? But b sure 2 submit a comprehensive listing of the needs,persons in need,the exact area of Portland & any other relevant information u may deem pertinent.U're doing a gud thing, God bless u & b sure 2 b transparent in ur handling of whatever u're given 2 use 2 help these people! I'm not 2 sure how much response u'll get 2 this quest since there may not b many who'll understand ur quest. having little or no knowledge of Portland & Michael Lee Chin
645450
Sorry, but I work for my own money. And thanks to the levels of freedom in this country, I can do what I like with it. And that includes giving it away to your version of an unworthy cause.\n\nHave you ever talked to a homeless person? Or some teenager on the street begging for quarters? Do you know what kind of shame and embarassment these people have to endure every time they have to look someone in the eyes and ask 'Any spare change mister?'\n\nAnd despite popular belief, homeless people, and kids living on the street are not just too lazy to get a job, they are not just too stubborn to do what they are told and go back home to live with their parents (for the kids). Not everyone who is homeless chooses to be homeless. Have you ever heard a 6 year old kid in an elementary grade class telling his teacher that he wants to grow up to be a homeless person, begging on the street to earn a living? I never have, and I doubt that anyone else has either. People don't want to be poor, they don't want to be homeless, they don't want to go to food banks, soup kitchens or beg for change either. But it's something that these people have to do in order to earn a living. Most of them are NOT alcoholics or drug dependant either.\n\nSo, get a job, go on welfare or something? Yeah, nice idea. But a little known fact about social assistance is that you have to already have an address to get some money. How do you pay rent with no money?? And how do you apply for a job when you have no address, no telephone for them to reach you? It's hard enough just to stay clean, considering that you don't have access to a shower or anything like that. Have you ever wanted to work with someone that smelled like old garbage? Probably not.\n\nHave you ever thought of what you might do if both of your parents were killed in a car accident? What if you had no other family to go live with? At 16 years old, could you fend for yourself? Or what if your parents didn't die. What if instead, they split up and neither of them wanted you? Then your mother moves across the country and leaves you with your 'dad'. He gets sick of your shitty attitude almost right away and kicks you out on the street because you're too much trouble to deal with. Without ever having graduated from high school, what do you do now?\n\nAside from that, there are plenty of homeless people that have become criminalized just to prevent themselves from freezing to death in the winter. I actually met a man who would commit a petty crime every year around October just so that he would have a warm bed and daily meals inside a prison for the winter months. But he wasn't a criminal. He did those things because he didn't have access to any other way to keep himself alive. He didn't know how to make the government programs work for him rather than against him. And with a criminal record, it became near impossible for him to get any kind of job, even one paying minimum wage.\n\nWith many cities making anti-panhandling legislation, even asking someone for spare change has become a criminal act. Do you realize that it is a crime to be poor? People treat you like dirt almost everywhere you go, and you develop a nasty suspicion that every time the police are around, they are there to do something to hurt you. Besides, you really think that it makes sense to give someone a fine for pan-handling when the reason they do it is that they already have no money?? What kind of sense does that make?\n\nAs for fining people that give poor people money, that is also an unfair idea. It's not against the law for you to give your money to the Heart & Stroke Foundation is it? Who has the right to say what I should consider worthy of my hard-earned money more than I do?? Hopefully nobody!\n\nAnd take some free advice: take an afternoon, walk down the streets where some homeless guy has had the nerve to bother you looking for a handout and take a minute to TALK TO
1135543
This is a tricky subject.  I've worked with the homeless and many actually prefer to live on the streets and wouldn't use or care for housing if they had it.  Many of the homeless are also mentally ill.  Tackle that challenge, they can become productive and turn it around.
967807
You can go to community action project services in your townand also your local church will be glad to help you.E-Mail me if you need additional advice/help okay?
584478
very many do. though some homeless will not go to this places because they do not want to hear the word of God. use to help at a shelter and talked to people they do not want to hear about it. also during bad snow storms many city govt. lobbies  are open .