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Whatever the reasons, it’s always desperate. Here are a few ways to help the destitute:
Donate directly
Keep an eye on your wardrobe for clothing items that you no longer wear. During winter donate tents, blankets, pillows, bags… Imagine you had to start from scratch, and think what you would need.
Fill a bag of non-perishable groceries and donate to a local food drive, such as the non-profit organisation feeding programme FEED (Feed, Empower, Educate and Develop) in Johannesburg or donate at any FoodBank SA branches across the country.
If you'd like to donate, you can drop off any supplies to any homeless shelter, including the Haven Night Shelter. Click on their site for more information and find out where you can drop off your donations.
Support charities and campaigns
Get involved by supporting various charities and campaigns that advocate and help to prevent homelessness. Movements to support include the Twitter blanket drive, #TBD2016, where citizens can drop-off their blankets at various locations across the country until Thursday, the 26th of May. Ons Plek focuses specifically on getting young girls off the streets and placing them in homes or reuniting them with their families.
Volunteer at a soup kitchen
Homeless shelters and soup kitchens thrive on volunteers to prepare, serve and clean. You can help by going to various local feeding scheme programmes, such as The Service Dining Room in Cape Town or the Durban Christian Centre, which hands out pots of soup twice a week across the city of Durban.
Pack in an extra lunch
When you’re preparing your meal for the day, consider packing in a spare lunch for someone on the street. Or if you have any leftover food, give it away instead of tossing it in the trash.
Consider the ‘useless’
You know those complimentary lotions or shampoos at the hotels? Any common item you use every day from toothpaste to plasters, pack them in and hand it out to those on the street. They need it more than you do.
Seek job opportunities
We already know how hard it is to find a job with our qualifications, now imagine how it is for someone who hasn’t even graduated or stepped into a classroom. So when an opportunity arises where you think a person can be integrated back into society, grab it and help. You can even help with laundry and haircuts before a job interview.
Ask them what they need
Normally we assume these people need money or food, and although that may be true, a human’s basic needs stretch farther than that. Crockery, toiletries (sanitary pads for women), books, treats like chocolate, headache tablets, vitamins, stationary and so on are all things that we take for granted but makes a great change in a homeless person’s life. Most importantly – see their humanity. We often disregard these people completely, turning a blind eye, walking by with our heads lowered, but try to stop and greet someone. Or share a smile.
Give responsibly
We often get asked on the street for some change and sometimes we feel guilty and selfish when we refuse. And although it’s your choice what to do with your money, you should take caution as this could keep more vagrants on our streets. The City of Cape Town launched the Give Responsibly campaign, which seeks to raise awareness for those who are willing to help, but on an initiative that will serve in the long-run.
