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How to Help the Homeless
About the Author: Boake Moore is an IT Sales engineer by trade and founded a non profit coffee company called Mission Grounds Gourmet Coffee (www.missiongrounds.com), it donates all its profits and proceeds to helping orphans and homeless children. Relief Your Stress By Volunteering
At times, it can seem as if you're on a constant treadmill at work. There are deadlines to meet, people to consult, relationships to
cultivate. You may feel as if you're under consistent stress, but you don't know how to manage it effectively. You could always
quit your job, but your next position might be just as stressful.
Stress can take a tremendous toll on both body and spirit. It can leave you feeling fatigued, making it hard for
you to concentrate. You may be more susceptible to illness as a result of your stress, resulting in increased absenteeism
from work. You may be more prone to getting into accidents, and you may feel as if you're on edge much of the time. There are
a number of strategies you can employ to deal with stress. But perhaps one of the most rewarding is to engage in volunteer work.
There is something so comforting about donating your time to helping someone else. The mere act can elevate your spirits, helping
you to better cope with the stressors in your life. You are giving a tremendous gift, the gift of your time and talent. And you
find your reward in the smiles on the faces of the people (or animals) you've assisted. If you're considering volunteering, you
don't want the search for volunteer opportunities to be stressful. Therefore, you'll want to make the process as simple as
possible. A good resource can be your local newspaper. Often, the Sunday paper lists organizations that are looking for
volunteers. The newspaper usually provides complete contact information, so you won't have to hunt around for a phone number.
Deciding which organization to volunteer for can be a challenge. There are so many causes worthy of our attention. For instance,
there are groups that assist people in times of disaster groups that lobby for research to find cures for debilitating diseases
homeless shelters soup kitchens and pet shelters. You might also consider volunteering at a school, where teaching assistants and
mentors are always appreciated. In order to decide where to put your talents to use, you might ask yourself some questions.
For instance, how much time can you realistically devote to volunteer work? Are you limited to doing your volunteering in
the evenings or on weekends? How much of your own money can you spend in connection with your volunteer work? What causes
are the most important to you? The answers to these questions could help you to choose the volunteer opportunity that's
right for you. Next, you'll want to tour the volunteer facility. You want to get a sense of whether you will enjoy the work.
If you find that the other volunteers are difficult to work with, it could simply produce more stress in your life. Usually, an
initial tour will help to give you a good idea of what it would be like to actually volunteer at the facility. Also, be sure to
find out if the organization offers training to its volunteers. This could be quite important, especially if you have only a
nodding acquaintance with the work of the organization. Volunteering does require commitment, and you might be wondering if
that commitment will add additional stress to your life. Actually, the opposite will probably be true. If you find yourself
being energized by your volunteer work, you'll be able to put your problems in better perspective. Knowing the difficulties
that other people face can make your troubles seem quite negligible in comparison. However, you will want to make sure that
you don't overcommit. Devote only a limited amount of time to your volunteer work, and resist the urge to do more.
Otherwise, you could find yourself exhausted by the end of the week and unable to perform well on your job. Volunteering
can be one of the great joys in life. It is a privilege to serve other people, to make a difference in another person's life.
Through your volunteer work, you'll be able to meet people you might otherwise not have the opportunity to encounter.
You can forge friendships which can last a lifetime. You'll be contributing greatly to your neighborhood and your
society, and your little corner of the world should be brighter because of it.
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Is there any ways that really help the homeless? Does handing the panhandler a dollar do any good? Are you looking for the quick help or do you want to help solve the solution? The biggest problem is the homeless are not a group of the same person so their problems are not the same so the same solution will not work for everybody.First off the reason for their homelessness is not the same. Yes some are due to addictions both alcohol and drugs. Others have psychological issues. And then the fastest growing segment is those running from spousal abuse.
And some simply have out spent their income and ended up on the streets with the downward spiral that leads to loss of job
and loss of everything else. So you have 2 avenues to help the long term solution and the short term fix. The long term solution
includes finding them jobs and affordable housing. The long term solution also focuses on fixing the other issues the addictions,
the psychological and emotional help, career and family counseling. So the long term solutions help with economic means to
get them off the streets and the mental issues to help them cope so they don’t end up back on the street. But since most
people only want a short quick answer we will now comment on the ways to help the homeless deal with their everyday issues.
Though these solutions are vital to them surviving they do nothing to help get them off the Street they help them deal with the
street. What do you do when you see someone holding up a sign, "Will Work for Food"? Do you roll down your window and give them
money? Do you pretend you didn't see them? Nobody likes to be confronted by the homeless - their needs often seem too
overwhelming - but we all want to treat them fairly and justly. Here are some simple guidelines to equip you to truly help
the homeless people you meet: First off please do not give money to the homeless. If you want to donate money give it to the
shelter that takes care of them. Too often, well intended gifts are converted to drugs or alcohol - even when the "hard luck"
stories they tell are true. If the person is hungry, buy them a sandwich and a beverage. Taking time to talk to a homeless person
in a friendly, respectful manner can give them a wonderful sense of civility and dignity. And besides being just neighborly,
it gives the person a weapon to fight the isolation, depression and paranoia that many homeless people face. The homeless are
as diverse as the colors of a rainbow. The person you meet may be battered women, an addicted veteran; someone who is lacking
job skills... the list goes on. Please do not treat them ALL as addicts the addicted old
homeless man we all pictures is only 25% of the population. So try and treat them with respect remember
they are still people too as you deal with them help them to help themselves. Take them to the appropriate
homeless shelter. Most shelters offer immediate food and shelter to the homelessness through their emergency shelters.
Many offer long-term rehabilitation programs that deal with the root causes of homeless. Many also offer "tickets" that can
be given to homeless people which can be exchanged at the shelter for a notorious meal, safe overnight lodging, and
the option of participating in a rehab program. Exposure to the elements, dirt, occasional violence, and lack of purpose
all drain years from a person's life. God can use your prayers and the brutality and the futility of life of the street to
bring many of the broken to Himself. So please pray for the homeless. So you want to do little more. Their immediate needs
are the basics food, clothes, and shoes. So you can take food to the homeless shelters. Get with your local grocery store and
ask if you can have the daily leftovers and date expired food. Take to the shelter. If you like set up a weekly trip and take
them enough food every week - now you are making a big difference. Take along your kids. Another great way to help is to take your
extra shoes, coats and clothes. Have a clothes drive in your neighborhood, Do it on a monthly basis if you like
the homeless residents next month are most likely not the homeless residents who were there this month. The homeless
in America are growing at a rapid rate and we all need to pitch in and help.
