A volunteer serves food to a homeless person at Shepherd's Table in Silver Spring. (Newsline photo by Raechal Leone)

COLLEGE PARK, Md.- The next time you see a person sleeping on the sidewalk or asking for money outside a Metro station, what will you do? What should you do if you want to help?

For starters, smile. Acknowledge that people panhandling or living on the streets exist, said Megan Hustings, development director for the National Coalition for the Homeless.

“Something that we find a lot is that homeless people are considered subhuman for whatever reason,” she said. “So we really encourage people to just say ‘hi.’ Don’t just walk on by and ignore them.”

Besides that, Hustings said, “give from your heart.”

Here are a few more concrete suggestions:

Give to a person in need.

The gift doesn’t have to be - and perhaps shouldn't be - cash. In fact, Susan Kirk, executive director of Bethesda Cares, said she tells people to avoid giving money to people on the street who ask for it, because it perpetuates a cycle of poverty.

“It doesn’t give any long-term, lasting solution, and it may be feeding addiction,” she said.

People may want to consider giving restaurant gift cards, blankets, socks or other useful things, Hustings said.

Give to an organization that helps the needy.

Sarah Mahin, director of development and communications for the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, goes this route with her personal giving, she said.

The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless' Web site has a list of needs.

Donations don't have to be cash. Mahin’s nonprofit and others keep a list of items they need to help the homeless.

A look at the coalition's Web site shows it needs subscriptions to The Washington Post, laundry detergent, new towels and more.

Volunteer, but don’t necessarily do it now.

Fewer people want to give their time in, say, March or July than during the holidays. Consider helping an organization serve a special meal for another holiday, like Valentine’s Day, or making a family day of volunteering over the summer.

“It’s certainly appreciated if people want to do it at this time of year, but there are needs throughout the year,” Mahin said.

Tell people how to get help.

Organizations, such as Bethesda Cares, advise people to give “street cards,” which list places that offer food, shelter and other resources for people who need them.

To get the cards, contact Bethesda Cares at 301-907-9244 or susan@bethesdacares.com or the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless at 301-217-0314.

No cards? Just learn where places that can help, such as Shepherd's Table in Silver Spring, are located. Then pass that information on to people asking for help in the streets, suggests Executive Eirector Jacki Coyle.
 
Smarten up.

People can help the homeless by gaining a better understanding of its causes, said Jane O’Leary, executive director of Congregations Concerned for the Homeless in Columbia.

“Generally, even though homelessness happens to individuals … the problem of homelessness is a systemic problem, and it is a community-level problem,” she said.

O’Leary recommended that people learn more about plans to end homelessness that agencies in their communities have put into action.

Banner graphic by Hortense Barber and Diego Mantilla; banner photos courtesy of Greg Sileo.

Copyright © 2007 University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

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