A Simple Way to Help the Homeless

How many times have you had nothing to give?

Photo by John Brundage

“If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
~James 2:14-17

Of all the reflections I’ve posted, this one has the chance to make the most immediate and practical impact. Please consider sharing it so that more people can see it.

Why should we help the homeless?

If you live in a city, you likely see panhandlers on a regular if not daily basis. I have argued here and here that we should (usually) give these people money. You don’t have to agree with me on this to follow what I’ll be suggesting in this reflection, but I still encourage you to prayerfully reconsider.

To summarize what I previously wrote: We have a serious obligation to relieve the suffering of the poor. Basic compassion and the golden rule aside, this is the obligation which Jesus most specifically and painstakingly linked to our eternal salvation.¹ Scripture is clear: if we say no to a homeless person’s plea for help, we say no to Jesus. If we are going to say no to Jesus, we’d better have a good reason.

Sometimes we do have good reasons to not give, especially when personal safety is a concern.² These and other legitimate concerns aside, it seems to me that most arguments against giving money rely on an unbalanced view of how homeless people spend their money, as well as how responsible we are for this.³ That view is often paired with a generous helping of wishful thinking about the current extent to which charity and government assistance can meet the needs of the poor.

I’d also add that most arguments against giving money to the homeless can be used against any form of charitable assistance. For example, if out of fear that a panhandler will spend your money on drugs, you instead give them five dollars worth of food, that’s five dollars of their total income that they didn’t need to spend, which is now available for other purchases, including drugs. Any form of aid can be said to ‘enable’ someone’s poor life choices. Is the solution to galvanize a nationwide boycott of helping the homeless? I don’t think so.

For me, the bottom line is that a panhandler is not going to stop being addicted to drugs because I didn’t give him a few bucks. His addiction or mental illness won’t be solved for many years. In the meantime, he will need many things which cost money. Charity and government assistance will not always (or even usually) be able to provide for all these needs.

In other words, I see giving money as taking the risk of slightly exacerbating a long-term problem for the chance to solve an immediate need. I’m not in a position to help this person make long-term behavioral changes. I am in a position to make sure they aren’t stranded or hungry tonight. If a homeless person wants spend my money on drugs, that’s their responsibility.⁴ If I refuse to give money to someone who probably needs it, that’s mine.

A Simple Way to Help: Care packages

If you still aren’t comfortable giving money, fear not! Most people outside of the truly hardcore tough-love crowd can agree that it’s good to give at least something to those in need, even if it’s not money.

How many times have you driven by a homeless person and wanted to give something but not had anything? An easy and convenient solution is to keep care packages with you in your car or backpack. The homeless have many needs which can be anticipated with a little research and common sense, and which can be cheaply met in a small package (e.g. a grocery bag).

I encourage you to give this simple and high impact way of giving a try. With a little planning and intentionality, it can become a meaningful and effective way to grow in solidarity with those most in need. I have experimented with a number of different configurations myself. You might not even have to buy items. You very likely have things that you aren't using which might be of use or comfort to a homeless person lying around your house.

Here are the key items I try to include in each package:

Money: I usually put three to five dollars worth of cash or spare change in a small plastic bag. That amount feels right to me because it won’t make or break a drug addiction, but it is enough to buy a bus pass and/or a small meal.

As much as I’ve tried to anticipate the needs of the people who will receive the care package, that’s not always possible. A small amount of money gives them the flexibility to meet their other needs.

Food: I aim for something portable, non-perishable, easy to chew, and calorie dense. For my money, peanut butter is basically unbeatable in terms of cost per calorie. Here in Detroit I can get a sixteen ounce jar for about three bucks. If I were to buy a panhandler McDonalds, that would cost more than three dollars, and only give them about 600-900 calories. By contrast 16 oz. jar of peanut butter provides nearly 2700 calories. I try to always include a spoon, a napkin, and crackers. (Note: many homeless have dental problems, so try to get creamy peanut butter - unlike what I have in the photo!).

Juice: Especially in the summer heat, a homeless person is likely thirsty. When looking for a drink to include in my care packages, I try to get something that would be enough to quench someone’s thirst, and something that has decent nutritional content. I like Mott’s juice boxes because they are relatively cheap and they have +100% daily value for Vitamin C.

Candy: This year several government entities have sought to make laws and regulations that would prevent government welfare recipients from spending their benefits on junk food. I totally get why someone wouldn’t want taxpayer money spent on chips and soda, and this is by no means a hill I’d die on politically. But it still bugs me for two reasons:

-First, there’s something seriously out of balance when, with the galactic amount of waste and fraud in our government spending, we choose to prioritize micromanaging the food choices of poor people.

-Second, there is more to life than mere survival, more to food than mere nutrition. I think there’s also something seriously out of balance when we assume that someone in need should just eat plain rice and shredded wheat until they are back on their feet.

Regardless of how the government should spend our money, I get to choose how I spend my own money. I am more than happy to spend a small portion of it on giving a small comfort to someone who is likely in desperate need of a small comfort.

Reading material: Continuing on the theme of life being more than survival, I invite you to imagine how boring and mind numbing living on the street would be. If you think it would be hard to go a day without your phone, imagine spending months on the streets without a phone, home, job, or community. We all need some way to pass the time. Looking around my room, I realized that I had several old issues of Reader’s Digest collecting dust. Why not allow someone else to enjoy these light and uplifting articles?

In a similar vein, if you work in a Catholic parish, there’s some chance you have a lot of mass-ordered Matthew Kelly books lying around. Rather than let these sit on a bookshelf for the next fifteen years, why not give someone a chance to benefit from them? Some might not be relatable to non-Catholics, but others are full of inspirational and broadly accessible content. I found The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen and Do Something Beautiful for God particularly suitable.

Socks As you may have already heard, these are some of the most sought after items by the homeless. Imagine wearing the same pair of socks for weeks on end. Socks can be cheaply purchased in bulk. You can also give from your own drawer if you have too many.

Spiritual materials: As much as I’ve pushed for meeting the material needs of the poor, I am aware that it’s ultimately a band-aid solution. The food will last a few days. The socks will wear out in a few weeks. The money will run out in an instant. The magazine will get boring in an hour or so. By including a spiritual book, pamphlet, medal, and/prayer card, I aim to fuel the hope and resilience of the person I am helping. All the money and security in the world can’t make someone happy. If someone places their faith in God, they can be happy even when they are penniless.

In the Gospel Jesus asks: “…what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Matt 8:36). The inverse is true: what do we truly lose if we have an abiding relationship with God, and yet lose our material possessions? If anyone could use this perspective, it is the people who have no possessions.

Some might raise concerns about proselytism. Am I forcing my religion onto others? It’s a legitimate concern and a fine line to walk. One must always respect the dignity and free will of the poor at all times. In no way do I tie the aid I give to the spiritual materials I distribute. Additionally, in my personal experience, homeless people have been by far the least likely group of people to feel offended or imposed upon when religion is brought up. Almost without exception the opposite has been the case: they are visibly uplifted and encouraged by the mention of prayer and spiritual matters.

Giving them out:

This is by no means an exhaustive list of what to include. You might choose to put in extra items, or you might choose to exclude certain items, especially if you’re carrying them in a backpack, or still aren’t comfortable giving items like money.

If you have time and they are open, try to strike up a conversation. I once spoke to a homeless person who told me “…this is the first time I’ve talked with someone like this in months.” One of the most under-appreciated burdens of being homeless is being constantly ignored and dehumanized. As terrible as the physical deprivations are, the psychological and spiritual consequences of this isolation are perhaps even more horrendous. We can’t solve all of it. But you’d be amazed at how big of a dent a simple gesture can make.

With all that said, I’d like to know what you think. Do you give money to the homeless? Have you tried care packages before? Do you have any suggestions for myself and others in terms of what to include in a package? Is there anything I’ve written that you disagree with? Your feedback will (probably) be greatly appreciated :) Be sure to say a prayer for the homeless, and have a blessed day.

1. “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”” (Matthew 25:41-46)

2. In any situation where you approach someone you don’t know, it’s always important to trust your gut, use common sense, and be aware of your surroundings. It’s rare, but panhandling can sometimes be the prelude to a robbery or assault. A dark alley probably isn’t the best place to be giving out care packages or pulling out your wallet. When I am giving from a car, I always try to leave enough space between myself and the vehicle in front of me that I can drive away if things go south.

3. In another reflection I wrote: the following:

“…if the homeless person has fifty dollars to their name, and they spend five dollars on drugs, that means they spent ten percent of their income on drugs. If you apply this percentage to your five dollars, it means that fifty cents of your dollar went to drugs. But four dollars and fifty cents went to other expenses.

So it simply isn’t true to say that your donation won’t do any good. No matter how hopelessly addicted someone is, they still need to ride the bus. They still need toothpaste. They still need socks - and so on. Even if you insist on saying that all your five dollars went to drugs, that’s still five dollars they didn’t have to take away from their overall income. You’ve still increased the percentage of their income that they now have available for other expenses.

True, drugs are often a disconcertingly large expense, and they’re one that shouldn’t be there in the first place. But this financial impropriety will not be rectified by you not giving money to them. Overcoming addiction is one of the hardest things a human being can do. It requires tremendous interior strength, consistent effort, and unwavering support of doctors, friends, and family.”

4. My responsibility for enabling someone grows the more money I give, the more often I give, and the closer relationship I have with the person. I’m not here to tell you what to do if you’re wondering whether or not to cut off your drug addicted son. There’s a place for tough love, I just don’t think it’s with a random panhandler I’ve never met and will probably never see again - certainly not when it’s only three bucks on the line.