5 Ways You Can Help Those Experiencing Homelessness this Fall and Winter (2024)

5 Ways You Can Help Those Experiencing Homelessness this Fall and Winter (1)

Cold weather is approaching and while you’re snuggled up on the couch, there are many women, men, and children that are calling the cold streets their home. This means there are thousands on the streets of Atlanta most at-risk of injury and death due to weather, and are often left with nothing to protect them against dropping temperatures.

What can you do to help the homeless during the fall and winter months?

  1. Offer blankets – Too often we see people sleeping on the streets with nothing more than a small sweater to cover themselves. Find some old blankets you have lying around the house, wash them, and donate to a shelter or location that serves those experiencing homelessness. You could even keep some in your car so that if you come across someone in need, you have easy access to a blanket.
  2. Donate old jackets and gloves – Similar to blankets, jackets and gloves make a big difference. Any type of protective clothing will help. Our fingers are extremely susceptible to frostbite, and gloves will help keep them safe. Jackets also help prevent hypothermia and give people experiencing homelessness a sense of ease that they will at least have some form of warmth that night.
  3. Donate socks – Socks are among the most sought-after donations at shelters, but also some of the least donated items. We tend to forget that our toes need protection too, especially since we spend so much time in our sandals during the summer.
  4. Offer warm food – When it gets cold, experts say that we get hungrier. This is because our bodies rush to protect our essential organs. If you can spare a few dollars or meals to feed someone experiencing homelessness, you can help keep them fed and warm for hours.
  5. Make care packages – Making care packages can help reach a lot of people. Filling them with necessities can help a whole family be in a little better position this winter. You can include toiletries (deodorant, lip balm, lotion, soap), packaged food (soft granola bars, crackers, cookies), and maybe even a few gift cards. Keep these in your car to give out as you see someone in need.

Fall and winter are crucial times for our friends experiencing homelessness. These are just a few ways you can quickly help a neighbor in need. If you’d like to help support our cause and give hope to those facing homelessness this fall and winter, click here.

5 Ways You Can Help Those Experiencing Homelessness this Fall and Winter (2024)

FAQs

5 Ways You Can Help Those Experiencing Homelessness this Fall and Winter? ›

Many shelters post lists of urgent donation needs on their website, where they might call for supplies such as toiletries, winter clothes, food, cleaning supplies, hand-warmers and gift cards.

How can we help homeless people in the snow? ›

Many shelters post lists of urgent donation needs on their website, where they might call for supplies such as toiletries, winter clothes, food, cleaning supplies, hand-warmers and gift cards.

How can we solve the problem of homelessness? ›

Solutions
  1. A Coordinated Approach. To end homelessness, a community-wide coordinated approach to delivering services, housing, and programs is needed. ...
  2. Housing as the Solution. The solution to homelessness is simple – housing. ...
  3. Assistance for the Most Vulnerable. ...
  4. Designing a Crisis Response. ...
  5. Increasing Employment and Income.

What do homeless people need most in the winter? ›

What Do Homeless People Need the Most in Winter? During winter, homeless individuals need warm clothing and blankets.

How do homeless people survive winter? ›

What we do is fill a lot of gaps that city services either can't or won't provide. So, we'll do clothing drives and provide warm clothes for people. We bring out emergency blankets, they're Mylar, so they trap 90% of body heat,” Blakemore said.

What are 5 things a homeless person could use? ›

Consider lip balm, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, razor, shaving cream, and deodorant. variety of services available to homeless men, women and families that they might not know about.

How can we help people in cold weather? ›

Ways you can help others in the cold weather
  1. If you can't help them get to a shelter, some items might help. ...
  2. Volunteering. ...
  3. Useful items to donate to food banks during cold weather. ...
  4. Check on your elderly neighbours. ...
  5. BillyChip. ...
  6. Give up your spare room.
Mar 7, 2023

How can I help the homeless in my area? ›

Volunteer at your local, state, or national housing or homeless advocacy coalition, or make a financial contribution to support their work.

Why we should solve homelessness? ›

Everyone benefits from reducing homelessness.

As people stabilize in housing, their dependence on emergency services drops, and their health outcomes improve significantly.

What cities have the best homeless solutions? ›

The CAUF Society has profiled Columbus and Salt Lake City among the four cities that have successfully addressed homelessness – in varying degrees – in addition to Vienna, in Austria and Helsinki, in Finland.

What are the top 5 things homeless people need? ›

Let's explore 10 essential items that can help.
  • #1 Clean Clothing. People experiencing homelessness will usually not have access to enough clean clothing. ...
  • #2 Sunscreen. ...
  • #3 Non-Perishable Food & Supplies. ...
  • #4 Winter Accessories. ...
  • #5 Socks and Underwear. ...
  • #6 Personal Care Products. ...
  • #7 Identification. ...
  • #8 Sleeping Bags.
Jul 12, 2022

What can I give homeless people to stay warm? ›

Donate your extra clothes, winter gear, and blankets to homeless people if you're cleaning out your closets. They constantly need hats, gloves, scarves, and other supplies that allow them to stay warm during the colder months.

What do homeless people want the most? ›

Food. The most critical thing homeless people need is food. It's also the easiest to get and doesn't require any particular skill or training.

What happens to homeless people when it's cold? ›

Hypothermia is the most dangerous cold-related condition for those facing homelessness. When the body reaches an abnormally low temperature, hypothermia begins to set in. This extremely dangerous condition causes serious health problems, and if left untreated, could even result in death.

What do homeless people do when its below freezing? ›

Each year, as winter approaches and the temperature begins to drop, many homeless people move from the streets to their city's shelter system to escape the cold.

What do homeless people do when it rains? ›

Homeless people often struggle to find safe and dry places to sleep on rainy nights. They may seek shelter under bridges, in doorways, or in alleyways. Some may try to find shelter in parks or other public spaces that are open 24 hours a day, such as bus stations or airports.

How can we help local homeless people? ›

CONTRIBUTE
  1. Clothing. The lack of clean, well-fitting clothes and shoes causes great hardship beyond exposure to the elements—it hurts one's self-image and one's chance to get ahead. ...
  2. In-kind services and materials. ...
  3. Household goods or other items. ...
  4. Books. ...
  5. Computers. ...
  6. Homeless “survival kits.” ...
  7. Phone calls. ...
  8. Job opportunities.

What happens to homeless people in the cold? ›

Hypothermia is the most dangerous cold-related condition for those facing homelessness. When the body reaches an abnormally low temperature, hypothermia begins to set in. This extremely dangerous condition causes serious health problems, and if left untreated, could even result in death.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lilliana Bartoletti

Last Updated:

Views: 6264

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lilliana Bartoletti

Birthday: 1999-11-18

Address: 58866 Tricia Spurs, North Melvinberg, HI 91346-3774

Phone: +50616620367928

Job: Real-Estate Liaison

Hobby: Graffiti, Astronomy, Handball, Magic, Origami, Fashion, Foreign language learning

Introduction: My name is Lilliana Bartoletti, I am a adventurous, pleasant, shiny, beautiful, handsome, zealous, tasty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.