r/homeless • u/Realistic_Ad2456 • 22h ago
Two homeless men camping near my home
A couple days ago, a couple of homeless men set up a camp walking distance from my home. What should I do to help them? Or should I not do anything, and just smile and make eye contact when I walk by, and let them say anything they want to?
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u/WillPayneDev Homeless 16h ago
If they don’t seem to be bothering anyone just talk to them. They are people too. Just simply talk to them.
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u/AskAccomplished1011 22h ago
Here's the extremes of examples: go to the portland sub reddit (the blue city..) and type in "homeless" and read up. That's one extreme.
The other extreme is that they're not addicts and would appreciate some tea every now and then, but they will likely bring their friends and you could trust some but not all of them.
We have become wild life, essentially. Which animal, is on us. We are all people yes, but our habits change us with the lifestyles we adapt to. It's a harsh reality to be homeless, some of us faire better than others.
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u/nomparte 20h ago edited 12h ago
go to the portland sub reddit (the blue city..) and type in "homeless" and read up.
Fuck me, you're right. A selection of threads from there: https://www.reddit.com/r/Portland/search/?q=homeless&cId=849b142d-db02-484a-a28b-fa312d4b51ec&iId=039b299b-383e-4450-a34c-9d8a1bedd642
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u/AskAccomplished1011 20h ago
it's been a nightmare. First, the city legalized open air drug use. Then they gave out siringes: to specifically prevent blood born diseases clogging up the hospital system, and narcan for the same reason. Then a ton of addicts from all over came here en masse.
Some of us here became homeless due to rising cost of living and "gentrification" after portlandia and big tech came here and made it a seattle burb.
Then, some gruntled people made it harder for the people who aren't so awful, just homeless.
it's been a real mess, but it's been a mess for everyone, even the homeless.
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u/nomparte 20h ago
Ask. anything you need? as you walk by. If what they need is within your means get it for them.
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u/AllieMarie888 5h ago
One thing that is really appreciated in the homeless community (I was in it for 3 years and still have homeless friends) is to treat the homeless like normal people. It is extremely hard on the streets when 99% of people treat you like you are absolute trash. You would be surprised at how many homeless people are well educated and just fell into a situation or situations that they were unable to control. Once you become homeless, it is extremely difficult to get back on track because it is a full time job just to survive.
Also, ask them if they need anything. A lot of homeless people are ecstatic to receive anything. I am even talking about things you take for granted that you would just throw away like clothes, shoes, pots and pans, socks, plates, silverware, food (if canned foods, remember that they probably don't have a can opener), etc.
Be careful, however, because there are many great people that are homeless but there are also manipulative hustlers that are truly professionals in the craft and they will try to get more and more from you.
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u/Ok_Gas7925 20h ago
Give them some non-perishable food. A roll of duct tape New socks A bag of oranges A joint 🌿 And say "you got this bros" ✌
That'll make their week
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u/TheBigBadBrit89 3h ago
“And let them say anything they want to.”
Ummm, homeless or not, you don’t really have any say in what other people say. What do you mean by “let them”? Are you going to stop them from saying anything?
Posts phrased like this are weird, and shows how dehumanized the homeless are to some people.
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