image by: Luis Felipe Salas

HWN Suggests

Should You Give Money to Homeless People?

Giving money to the homeless is an economic crisis of the heart, a tug-of-war between the instinct to alleviate suffering and the knowledge that a donation might encourage, rather than relieve, the anguish of the poor.

We're all familiar with our mothers' reasons not to empty our pockets for beggars. "The best help is a shelter not a dollar," she's told us, and "They'll only use it on [something bad] anyway!"

The studies seem to back up mom, to a degree. One report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that six out of ten homeless respondents admitted problems with alcohol or drugs. Given the likelihood of self-reported bias, the actual number…

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Featured

 8 incredible innovations helping homeless people around the world

Homelessness is widespread and hard to solve, affecting more than 560,000 people in the U.S. and hundreds of millions around the world. It's a complex and intractable problem, with countless agencies and nonprofits working to tackle root causes and provide systemic solutions. But while there may not be a one-size-fits-all formula for homeless people in every community, technology and innovation can help fill in the gaps.

 Jeff Bezos has decided to help the homeless

“The Day 1 Families Fund will issue annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to provide shelter and hunger support to address the immediate needs of young families,” Bezos wrote. “The vision statement comes from the inspiring Mary’s Place in Seattle: no child sleeps outside.”

 This Tech Nonprofit Is Trying to Help Homeless People Get IDs

Most chronically homeless people don’t have a valid ID and can’t afford to get one. A team of Atlanta entrepreneurs are out to break the ID barrier—which can bar homeless people from getting jobs, obtaining housing, and accessing vital government services.

Articles of Interest

Homeless Shelters? There's a Better Way

Housing vouchers aren't cheap, but they seem to be the best strategy for keeping a roof over everyone's head.

This 9-Year-Old Builds Tiny Houses For The Homeless

Now that Hailey is also custom-building tiny houses, she needs to raise even more money. Thanks to donated materials, including flooring and shingles, the first shelter cost only about $400. Hailey raises money through a GoFundMe campaign.

'SHELTER' Highlights the Fight to End America's Youth Homelessness Crisis

In SHELTER, VICE journeys to New Orleans to tell the story of teen homelessness from the point of view of the staff and residents of Covenant House— America's largest non-profit shelter that has been on the front lines protecting the lives of at-risk young adults for more than 40 years.

11 myths about homelessness in America

Studies show that simply housing people can reduce the number of homeless at a lower cost to society than leaving them without homes.

Downtown Homeless Shelters Are Disappearing

Cities are getting pricier. Federal funding is getting scarcer. And Americans who need emergency shelter are suffering the consequences.

Giving housing to the homeless is three times cheaper than leaving them on the streets

When it comes to the chronically homeless, you don't need to fix everything to improve their lives. You don't even really need new public money. What you need to do is target those resources at the core of the problem — a lack of housing — and deliver the housing, rather than spending twice as much on sporadic legal and medical interventions.

This Homeless Charity Got Smart And Built Own Social Network

The correct application of social networks, for improved collaboration, can transform how a business or charity operates. But it can require a culture change among the people using the system.

Why California Leaves Its Homeless Out in the Sun

When most people think about the city of Anaheim, Disneyland or the Angels baseball team probably comes to mind. But until recently it was also home to one of California’s fastest-growing housing developments: a homeless encampment.

Resources

Back on My Feet

Back on My Feet seeks to revolutionize the way society approaches homelessness. Our unique model demonstrates that if you first restore confidence, strength and self-esteem, individuals are better equipped to tackle the road ahead.

FareStart

FareStart provides a community that transforms lives by empowering homeless and disadvantaged men, women, and families to achieve self-sufficiency through life skills, job training and employment in the food service industry.

Street Medicine Institute

The Street Medicine Institute (SMI) facilitates and enhances the direct provision of health care to the unsheltered homeless where they live.

Beyond Housing

Today, Beyond Housing helps communities become better places to live. Thriving communities support healthy families and children. They offer a sense of pride and ownership. They see people through a crisis and help them build their dreams into realities.

Breaking Ground

Breaking Ground’s mission is to strengthen individuals, families and communities by developing and sustaining exceptional supportive and affordable housing as well as programs for homeless and other vulnerable New Yorkers.

Carpenter’s Shelter

supports the homeless in achieving sustainable independence through shelter, guidance, education and advocacy.

CommonBond

Our work comes from a simple notion: Home is the foundation for everything in life. Our expertise ranges from interacting with officials on complex legislation to investing in and developing properties, to making sure a child has a place to do homework.

Community Solutions

deploys the best problem-solving tools from multiple sectors to help communities end homelessness and the conditions that create it.

Covenant House

Covenant House provides housing and supportive services to youth facing homelessness. We help young people transform their lives and put them on a path to independence.

Emmaus

To work together to overcome homelessness and social exclusion while using our voice to achieve social change.

Feeding Pets of the Homeless

Feeding Pets of the Homeless is the only national animal organization focused on feeding and providing emergency care to pets of homeless people.

National Alliance to End Homelessness

The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to end homelessness in the United States. We use research and data to find solutions to homelessness; we work with federal and local partners to create a solid base of policy and resources that support those solutions; and then we help communities implement them.

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

NCHV will end homelessness among veterans by shaping public policy, promoting collaboration, and building the capacity of service providers.

National Coalition for the Homeless

The National Coalition for the Homeless is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission: To prevent and end homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights protected.

Plan Zheroes

Plan Zheroes helps businesses redistribute their surplus food but we always support measures that help prevent food waste from arising in the first place.

Robin Hood

While Robin Hood’s primary focus is on New York, our impact extends far beyond the borders of our city. Our pioneering, metrics-based approach has become the gold standard for charities around the nation. The programs we fund are often the first of their kind, and serve as demonstration models to identify what works before being replicated in other cities.

Streets Kitchen

Streets Kitchen is a UK & Ireland grassroots group working to help the homeless community, providing daily outreaches with food, clothing and information that benefits our streets. We work in partnership with others across the UK and beyond.

Union Rescue Mission

Union Rescue Mission (URM) is one of the largest missions of its kind in America — bringing help and hope to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness in Downtown Los Angeles.