The Homeless Needs Your Help
There's no doubt that homelessness is a huge problem in New York City. With around 1 in every 125 people in New York living out on the streets, in subways, or homeless shelters, the population of homeless people in NYC continues to rise every year. Most are not in a position to help themselves, and so those of us who do have the ability and the resources to do so need to take action now. The first two bullet points on the checklist to the right direct you to organizations and non-profits that aim to help the homeless in NY; quarantine makes volunteering less ideal of an option during this pandemic, but any donations you can make will greatly help the homeless get by in these times of uncertainty. The second pair of bullet points on the checklist will require only a few minutes of your time; they will direct you to two petitions that sought to permanently/long-term improve the conditions for the homeless by pressuring the government to provide and fund homeless housing not only during COVID, but in the years that follow. Thank you for reading!
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen volunteers distributing food to the homeless during coronavirus pandemic
Ways You Can Help
Once you have completed an item, click it to check it off your list!
- Check out the Coalition for the Homeless' mission statement found here and consider donating to the organization through this link to help end mass homelessness in NYC.
- Check out the NYC organizations and nonprofits helping with the homeless listed on this site and this site, and consider donating food, supplies, and/or money to one near you.
- Sign this petition to urge Mayor de Blasio to increase the number of housing units for homeless households to 30,000 (with 24,000 of these created through new construction), by building roughly 2,500 new units of homeless housing each year between now and 2026.
- Sign this petition to help protect the homeless in NYC during this COVID-19 pandemic by pressuring Mayor de Blasio Governor Cuomo to offer vacant hotel rooms in the city to the homeless, stop all forcible "sweeps" and "clean-ups" of those living on the streets, and implement a long-term plan to provide permanent housing for every homeless New Yorker; more info can be found on the site.
- Look up some food shelters in your local community to volunteer at when the COVID epidemic ends!