Welcome back.

Since March, life has changed drastically for all of us -- students, parents, care givers, the employed, the unemployed... The list of groups of affected people is anything but finite. However, we can all agree that the lives of those who are homeless have been turned completely upside down. Without any further ado, I want to share 5 ways in which you can care for the homeless during a pandemic.

1) Make online donations.

Since we're going out very rarely, my family and I have taken to making donations online. It's vital that you check the security and credibility of the site before making your donation so that your information is safe and your money is not wasted. You don't need to have a lot of money to do this -- even a penny you contribute could be added to the sum that gets a homeless person what they need to survive.

2) Donate to food banks.

If you have worked, or have planned to work voluntarily in a soup kitchen, yet are now looking to help the homeless more safely, this is the way forward. If there's any food items at home with a long shelf-life that you don't think you'll be using, such as dry pasta, tinned beans or biscuits, donating them to your local food bank could stop someone from going hungry.

3) Raise awareness about charities through social media.

In the digital age, we can inform hundreds or even thousands of people about the topics we care about with the click of a button. If you can go to the social account of a charity you support and reshare information about them, and then the people who follow you reshare it again, charities against homelessness could receive many more donations than they otherwise would have.

4) Type ‘views for a vision’ into a free, online video player such as YouTube or Bing Videos. 

There are many videos that you can watch to help homeless and suffering people all over the world, such as those affected by the recent blast in Beirut, Lebanon, or those starving in Yemen. These work by the owner of the channel gaining money through the advertisement feature and then giving the money earned to the causes stated in the video title. 

5) Don’t be judgemental of the homeless people you see or hear about.

Like any of us, homeless people are people.  Unfortunately, many harmful misconceptions about homeless people still exist in today’s society. If you buy into them and judge a homeless person you see to be dangerous, criminally inclined, or addicted to substances, these thoughts directly influence the way you treat a homeless person. Try your level best to be non-judgemental and loving towards those you know nothing about -- even a smile could save a life.

What are some ways you care for homeless people in these unprecedented times?

Take care,

~Jaya x