Did you know there are more than 83,170 individuals who are considered “chronically homeless” in the U.S? Some people might want to help by giving to the homeless directly, but you shouldn’t. It’s actually not helping them. In order to help the homeless, donations need to be made to charities. Instead of money, give blankets and clothes to the shelters, and give food to food banks.  

Donating to shelters or giving supplies out, is better than directly giving money to the homeless, as the potential of misusing the money on drugs or alcohol is high. According to the NCBI study of drug misuse in Denver, most of the population of homeless people are using some form of drugs anywhere from weed to cocaine. 

There is also a major amount of youth dealing with homelessness. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “550,000 unaccompanied, single youth and young adults under the age of 24 experience a homelessness episode of longer than one week.” 

The youth and the adults who are homless have different needs. Yes they both need warmth, but the sizing in clothes is different and their reasoning is different as well. The adults might have had a job and lost it due to issues whereas the youth may just have graduated and turned 18.  

Likewise, the potential of a false sob story is scaringly high. Many people “panhandle” their way, faking to be homeless, to earn some money. It is such a problem that in places like Marysville and Arlington, they have put up fliers listing charities that residents can give to, instead of dealing with potential panhandlers- but still wanting to help the cause. 

Giving money to one homeless person is also only going to help ONE person, instead of a whole community. Homeless shelters sometimes even provide the flu shot in addition to clothing purposes, which is another way they are keeping their community healthy. 

Food Pantries and Food Banks, recieve donations, and have the capability to redirect unspoiled food from landfills to neighbors in need, allowing individuals to “support their local communities and reduce environmental impact”.

More people today are realizing that giving money directly to the homeless, may not be the best way. But what they don’t understand is that by handing out little “gift bags” filled with blankets and socks, may be a good idea in thought, but the reality is the taller homeless people aren’t getting big enough clothes to fully provide them warmth. 

Handing over the responsibilty of helping to the ones who know how to properly distribute them is the only way. These shelters can give the right sized clothes and the correct proportions to the people who actually need them. 

Volunteers of America, an organization that helps with assisting the homeless, is a prime example of the various other services these groups can do. They provide not only emergency services, transitional housing and permanent affordable housing, but will stay with the families and/or youth for, “as long as it takes to return them to self-sufficiency.”

The whole myth about homeless shelters being used to gain money for themselves and not providing anything except for a roll of bread is completely false. These shelters rely on donations to continue supporting people whose life went the wrong way. They even offer, “safe and stable housing environments with voluntary and flexible supports and services to help people manage serious, chronic issues such as mental and substance use disorders.”

They care for mental, physical, and emotional needs. In today’s world, homelessness may be a big problem, but giving money is the real problem. The misuse and irresponsible actions with it lead to the homeless’ own downfall. The solution is simple; help by giving clothes and blankets to the shelters, giving food to the food banks, and if the need to donate money is so important- donate money to the local shelters.