Picture taken in front of Heber Wells Building, Oct 2010 What do you do when you see a homeless person? What if they approach you holding a sign or ask for money? Do you give them some? Do you feel guilty if you don't? Or do you pretend not to see them?
Nobody likes to be confronted by the homeless. Their needs seem so overwhelming. Yet they deserve to be treated kindly. Here are some simple guidelines from The Rescue Mission of Salt Lake to really help the homeless people you meet.
Nobody likes to be confronted by the homeless. Their needs seem so overwhelming. Yet they deserve to be treated kindly. Here are some simple guidelines from The Rescue Mission of Salt Lake to really help the homeless people you meet.
1. Don't give them cash. If they are hungry, buy them a sandwich or a beverage. Too often well intended gifts of cash to the homeless are converted into drugs or alcohol--even when the "hard luck" stories they tell are true.
2. Homeless people are not all the same. The person you meet may be a battered woman, an addicted veteran, mentally ill, a con artist, or someone who's lost a job. Refer them to someone who is trained to deal with their problems.
3. Talk to the person with respect. Many of the homeless are consumed by isolation, depression and paranoia. If a homeless person approaches you, a friendly response (even when saying "NO") can help restore a degree of respect.
4. Be cautious and alert when you talk to someone on the street. Stay in areas where others can see you, and don't take unnecessary chances. Don't feel that you are being uncaring if your personal safety is in question.
5. Encourage the homeless to get help. Free meals, shelter and medical care as well as rehabilitation programs are available.
6. Donate to a cause to support the homeless.
7. Check out the website: http://www.endpanhandling.com/
Charity Codes:
1014 Crossroads Urban Center is a non-profit, grassroots organization which assists and organizes low income, disabled, and minority Utahns to meet basic survival needs and to address essential issues affecting the quality of life. The Center was instrumental in establishing homeless shelters and the statewide Food Bank.2. Homeless people are not all the same. The person you meet may be a battered woman, an addicted veteran, mentally ill, a con artist, or someone who's lost a job. Refer them to someone who is trained to deal with their problems.
3. Talk to the person with respect. Many of the homeless are consumed by isolation, depression and paranoia. If a homeless person approaches you, a friendly response (even when saying "NO") can help restore a degree of respect.
4. Be cautious and alert when you talk to someone on the street. Stay in areas where others can see you, and don't take unnecessary chances. Don't feel that you are being uncaring if your personal safety is in question.
5. Encourage the homeless to get help. Free meals, shelter and medical care as well as rehabilitation programs are available.
6. Donate to a cause to support the homeless.
7. Check out the website: http://www.endpanhandling.com/
Charity Codes:
1118 Fourth Street Clinic is a comprehensive medical home providing coordinated primary care, behavioral health, and pharmacy services.
1037 Rescue Mission of Salt Lake City provides: A free, whole person, 1 year New Life Residential Recovery Program
An "open door" breakfast six days a week
An "open door" dinner every night of the year
Food baskets for families in need
Emergency sleeping accommodations in our overnight Dorm for up to 50 men every night
A Baggage Room where men may check in their baggage
A Message Board where we post telephone messages for guests
Mail reception
Free clothing distribution
Access to our Dorm facility three days a week for men to shave and shower
Day Room open during the winter months and during inclement weather.
7556 The Road Home is a private non-profit social service agency that assists individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Salt Lake County and along the Wasatch Front. Our mission is to help people step out of homelessness and back into our community. Originally established in 1923 to assist stranded travelers, the Road Home has grown to address a spectrum of needs that people experiencing homelessness encounter as they work to restore their lives. In addition to operating the largest shelter in Utah, the Road Home has developed a comprehensive housing program that helps people move into housing as quickly as possible.
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door." -Emma Lazarus
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