There are Many Things You Can Do to Help Fight Homelessness

Here is a list of actions you can take:

·         Volunteer  at the nearest shelter

·         Volunteer to help  renovate houses  –  check with your local public housing authority, local shelter or Habitat for Humanity

·         If you own a business – offer to help with job training

·         If you are skilled at something, offer to teach skills –  hobbies,  life skills and work skills

·         Plan an event at your local shelter – events  such as a game night or an open mic night

·         Work with children as a tutor or mentor

·         Talk about your efforts with friends and coworkers

·         Join coalitions

·         Educate leaders. Contact local and state officials. Write letters, emails, make phone calls. Consider yourself an advocate. (The U.S.  Capitol number is 202-224-3121.)

·         Respond to National Coalition for the Homeless legislative alerts.   nationalhomless.org/alerts

·         Follow local and national politics

·         Help register homeless people to vote

·         Sponsor a “Hunger and Homelessness Awareness” week –  which is observed nationally the week before Thanksgiving

·         Recognize National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day,  December 21

·         Join the National Homeless  Civil Rights project – it tracks crimes against homeless people, through nationalhomeless.org

·         Contribute – ask  local shelters what they need

·         Raise funds for a program by sponsoring a walkathon, a road race, a yard sale, an art show, a music night

·         Visit  websites such as:

·          National Coalition for the Homeless    nationalhomeless.org

·         National Alliance to End Homelessness      naeh.org

·         National Low Income Housing  Coalition     nlihc.org

·         National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness     nscahh.org

·         National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty               nlchp.org

·         Homes for the Homeless/Institute for Children and Poverty        homesforthehomeless.com

·         The Better Homes Fund   the betterhomesfund.org

·         Universal   Living Wage campaign    universallivingwage.org

·         Csf.colorado.edu –  for information about more organizations

For more ideas on how to help:  earthsystems.org