People Explain Which Items You Should Never Give To Someone Who's Homeless
Just a few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the U.S., homelessness was declared a national emergency. COVID-19 only made matters worse with the recession, increased unemployment and restrictions to shelter access.
When we think of our unhoused community members, there's actually great stigma associated with their lack of housing. Often people think poorly of their housing status and it's reflected in their treatment.
Though there is often an ask for food, clothing and monetary donations for the homeless, we wanted to know what is not needed too.
Redditor WITAFquestions asked:
"What's something you shouldn't give to a homeless person?"
Here's a list of things you should avoid giving to our unhoused friends.
Certain kinds of food are better than others.
"Food that needs to be cooked."
- Tempshrugs
"Also, food that requires a hard bite - many are in need of dental care."
- Puzzleheaded_Leggo
"This! I offered a man a nature valley granola bar once, cause that was all I had, but he turned me down because he couldn't eat it."
- ariariariariariari
"In the same vein, donate can openers to food banks if you can. And spices."
- EcoAffinity
"Donate cash to food banks if you can. They can buy food at wholesale prices which means more food to donate to the community."
- min_mus
"Some near me are not taking food donations. Only taking money. I don't know if it's because of this or COVID safety. But wanted to point it out before anyone goes to buy food expecting to donate it."
- Gorechi
Thanksgiving isn't the only time you can give.
"A frozen turkey."
"Had a friend who used to send plated meals to the homeless people near her house, occasionally. One day one of them came to her door with a frozen turkey. Someone had driven to the homeless area and handed this woman a frozen turkey. When the woman delivered it she said, 'I figured you have an oven, maybe you can use it. What did they think I was going to do with it??? I've got a shopping cart, not an oven'."
- polonnaise
"As a kid, who was poor but fortunately not homeless, we used to get a bunch of donated turkeys every Thanksgiving. Freezer would be wall to wall turkeys and we would be eating turkey for dinner for what seemed like months. Thank God we are least had a freezer or no doubt much of it would have been wasted."
"People always donate turkeys on Thanksgiving, but ignore the rest of the year I guess. But eating turkey for a couple of months is a lot better than eating nothing."
"I am thankful for anyone who donated something I ate as a kid, as I don't know where I would be now otherwise... Dead I guess."
- godofcheese
"Our grocery store used to donate turkeys every year for our Christmas drive (about 200 families) but they would run into the issue of people not being able to store or cook them, or just not practical to give a turkey to a family of 1-3 people, so now they give $25 store specific, hand written gift cards for people to get whatever they need."
- wibblywobbly420
Expensive brands.
"Anything of noticeably high value. Brand name clothing or shoes, expensive backpacks, watches, etc."
"This can get them killed, or at the very least targeted and mugged. It also makes things harder for them to be taken seriously and receive effective aid if they're dressed in expensive clothing (that or it's assumed they stole it, which is a whole other problem)."
- TrinketChicken
"Rich people want to make themselves feel good and donate Gucci sweaters and shit that will get them f*cked up and robbed, and nobody will EVER help a dude in a Gucci sweater with a few bucks to get some food. It's just all around a really screwed up gift/donation."
- pacman404
Advice about money.
"Related story time: I used to work at a thrift store in processing. Basically, I sorted donations, cleaned them up if needed, priced them, and put them out onto the floor."
"One day I got in a donation a bunch of those kits you see people put together for homeless people; they have things like a stick of deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, that sort of thing."
"I was going through them for things we weren't allowed to put onto the floor (like medication - they had packets of Tylenol in them) when I found a folded $50 bill in there. I unfolded it, and it was one of those Christian pamphlet things; you know the ones, that say, 'Money isn't the cure for everything, only Jesus will get you into heaven' or whatever."
"So basically, don't get someone who's desperate for money fake money that says they shouldn't worry about money."
- Diredoe
"Would be funny if people started putting those fake bill/Christian pamphlets into the collection plate."
- Awetumn
Just be kind.
"A hard time."
- 1feralengineer
"And disrespect."
- arc_alt
"Everyone thinks they are saying something unique and that their words are somehow going to change the homeless persons way of thinking and they will magically get their sh*t together because of their inspirational words. That poor homeless guy has to hear people telling him what they think he should do about his situation all the time. He’s sick of hearing it."
- tinybluebutterfly
Don't give items that you wouldn't use.
"Mostly related, but I work at a homeless shelter and you would not believe some of the shit that comes through donations. Lingerie, beat up clothing and shoes, outdated appliances..."
"If you want to donate, you can always call ahead and see if the shelter is looking for particular items. Seasonal clothing, hygiene items (NOT half used shampoo bottles) and new socks and underwear are always good ideas."
- Connect_Dog
"That reminds me of my time when I worked at a homeless center for mentally ill homeless and I was tasked with sorting out a box of dvd’s that were donated. 75% of the box was porn."
- DaemonDrayke
Food with laxatives.
"Laxatives. This homeless guy that used to live in a nearby bridge was given food that secretly had some sort of laxative in it. Needless to say, he became a lot more wary of free food afterwards. I don’t think they ever found out who the POS that did it was."
- justwannasleepplease
"You gotta be a special type of awful to mess with homeless people."
- chiree
Non-consensual internet "fame."
"Internet fame. Stop recording your good deeds to get attention. If you wanna help someone out, just help them."
"There IS a difference between using someone for personal gain versus using social media in a positive way to truly make an impact. I'm talking about people who exploit others to grow their channel, and/or get a ton of donations and then misuse the funds."
"It's specifically an a**hole move when a person can't/won't/isn't given an option to consent (which you could argue are a lot of people, especially if they don't give consent and then aren't given resources since they don't wanna be in a video.)"
- flblk2020
Things you SHOULD give.
There's a lot of things that the homeless cannot use, but a few things that are needed besides food or money are socks or feminine hygiene products.
"I've done outreach work they get so much food and water but females need feminine hygiene products and they ALLLLLLL need socks."
- TheCavesCrack
"Nice socks and underwear are a small luxury that most people don't spend enough money on but make a world of a difference. I buy 10-20 pairs of Darn tough socks every year and hand them out, they are game changing."
"They keep you warm and dry in the winter, and in the summer time cool and dry. You can usually wear them for 1-2 weeks before needing to clean (need being an important word). And they are incredibly comfortable. I highly recommend them to everyone but they are really game changing for someone who is out in the elements year round."
- HandsyBread
If you're ever unsure what someone may want or need in that moment, you can always just ask them. It's better than guessing and giving them something that they don't want or can't have.
Next thing is to look into ways your community is working to end homelessness on a systemic level. Both prevention and response is needed to bring our communities to a healthier place.
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Being homeless is already no picnic. Living on the street comes with a lot of danger.
Add in some creepy sightings though? And it's a recipe for a horror film.
u/Chess_Kings asked:
Ex-homeless redditors, what was the scariest thing that you ever saw on the streets? [NSFW]
Here were some of those answers.
Cigarette Acrobatics
Not that scary, but one time i was on a park bench just killing time. This homeless dude that everyone called "red" was at another bench. He came up to mine, and asked if i would watch his stuff while he slept for a bit, and i said yes. So he layed down next to me, and after awhile he sat up for a cigarette.
About 3 drags in, he starts coughing and his face turned all purple FAST. Never realized how fast people turn purple from lack of oxygen. He fell over on his side, and i jumped up and gave him a little smack on the back a few times, and i kept yelling at him to get up. I was hesitant to call an ambulance cause of hospital bills that he obviously wouldnt be able to pay, but right as i took my phone out to call (he had been unconscious for like 30 seconds at this point) he starts gasping and gets up.
I asked him if he was ok, and all he says is "f**king COPD" and then takes a drag of the cigarette that he never even dropped the whole time that happened. Blows my mind he didn't drop it lmao
Frozen (2013)
Cold weather. I thought I was going to die one night I was so cold. I remember waking up thinking "you need to move or you are going to die".
May Have Been Two Murders
For a while I slept in an empty warehouse, I'm in the UK, so it was a huge Victorian building with about six floors. I slept on the third or fourth floor, out of the way of 'casual' intruders (drunks and prostitutes used that space) and one night I heard a load of shouting and a female screaming from the ground floor. Now I was 16, a junkie and about 120lbs, so I wasn't in any position to do much, but I crept down the steps to see what was happening. By the time I got there, the place was empty and the noise had stopped so I went back upstairs.
I found out the next day they found a body in the wasteland outside. Turns out the woman was a prostitute, they assumed her client stabbed her after a struggle and she'd made a run for it before he caught her and finished the job. Always wonder if I'd been able to help, but I'd have probably got stabbed too. :/
Was She Sleepwalking?
Was homeless for a summer and an acquaintance through the party scene of the town invited me to crash on her couch
Woke up in the middle of the night to her screaming into her phone about how they are out to get her and are setting the world up for destruction
Pretended like I was still asleep and got outta there the next day real quick
Oddly Specific
I was stalked by a gang one night on my way "home" from work. I still have no idea how i wasn't mugged. Once i woke up suddenly to a not homeless man holding a huge knife staring at me inside the abandoned buildings basement i was sleeping in. Once he noticed i was awake he asked if i was russian. I said no and he said he was looking for a different girl, gave me 20 dollars and left.
Crack On Crack On Crack
The scariest thing I saw was a man named Tony T. Apparently he had been a addict for years but had to keep a job to support his habit. He had received a huge settlement, over $500k. At which point he decided that he never had to work again. He lived on the streets and smoked drugs all day. The best way to describe him is Tuco from breaking bad. He was generous with his drugs so people would naturally want to be around him. But he was unpredictable and dangerous. I have tons of stories about him being crazy aggressive but the last time I saw him he beat a man with a pipe for dropping a tiny crack rock in the dirt. I tried to stop him and he threatened to turn on me. I walked out, went to a phone and called my sister to come get me. She helped me get my stuff together and I never went back. That was 30 years ago.
Why Do It Be This Way
Biggest thing (5'3 115lb) was how often people try to abduct you. That and how often people try to serve you tampered food. The teenagers trying to get clout by assaulting/"pranking" you is another one
The End Of My Timeline
Snow! I'm a big, scary dude so I never had trouble with people picking on me or whatever, in that sense the streets were safe to me, but seeing snow for the first time that year just made me cry and panic. It was too early for snow, I wasn't ready for that type of cold and was hoping to be on my feet again before the winter came. Beautiful thing like snow just messed me up in so many ways.
For The Sake Of Your Life
I had been homeless for a couple weeks now and had made friends with this couple, they seemed pretty chill but had a bit of a drinking problem.
Anyway one night i was sleeping, could here some commotion going on, couldn't make out who it was or what was going on, until my buddy comes and sits on my sleeping bag, blood pumping out of his neck, like full on everytime his heart beat it would splurt out, not under huge pressure but it was pretty bad. I ask him what happened and he said he think his misses had cut his throat with a stanley blade, he was so drunk he was not aware of how bad his injury was, and insisted i did not call an ambulance.
So i called the police they called the ambulance. I see the dude a couple days later, still homeless, scar on his neck. He's ever so grateful the nurse had told him how lucky he was, he was literally a couple millimeters away from dying that night.
Folks Picking On The Most Vulnerable
There is a drainage ditch in my area that the local homeless people tend to bed down in. A few years ago, when I found myself destitute, I spent one night down there. That night I witnessed a molotov get thrown into another dude's spot which led to a huge fire that ran rampant through the area.
Yeah, I bought a tent the next day and started camping in the local mountains.
People Who've Been Homeless Explain What Those First Nights Without A Home Were Like
Becoming homeless is an experience many hope to never live through.
However, that fear is a daily reality for millions already. You may not know what to do when the time comes. However, what appears to be standard, as evidenced by these stories, is the first night will be rough. Very rough.
Reddit user, Eniv3n, wanted to hear about the first night without a roof over your head when they asked:
"People who are / have been homeless, what was the first night without a home like, and how did you adapt to your new situation?"
Happy Campers
"I was about 9 years old, and my mom said we were going on a camping trip. I didn't really suspect anything, as it was summertime and we went camping a lot when I was younger. Although I did wonder why we were packing so much stuff. After a few weeks of "camping," I started to complain, but my mom kept insisting that it was good for us to get in touch with nature, etc. Then school started, and we were still camping. And we kept camping for another 6 months. When we finally got a house, my mom cried with joy. And we don't camp anymore."
Skas1n
Sugar Drop
"I remember being really hungry and acting weird because of the low blood sugar, almost delirious. This was when I made a futile attempt to run away from an abusive home with no money. I ended up going back because of that."
DryResolution6
It All Came Crashing Down
"I was only homeless for about six weeks, at 36 years of age. After several years of depression and anxiety slowly eroding my resources, relationships and general will to try anymore, I ended up having a final blowout with my gf, who reasonably couldn't handle me anymore."
"I started sleeping at work, which wasn't even a full-time job."
"The delicacy involved in not getting caught, and the freedom from the extremely unhealthy state my relationship had been in, kept my mind away from the absolute, abject terror that was hiding beneath the surface; the scary part of homelessness for me was the growing sense that if I fell any further I'd probably never get back up. It takes resources to be clean, fed and rested, and if you aren't those things it's very hard to get resources, let alone find the will to try. But that first night was all triage, all focused on being sure the second night wasn't going to be on the street."
"I pulled it off for six weeks, and that time, actually, saved my life; I was away from conflict, intimately connected to how dire my circumstances had become, forced into a very regular schedule (routine is really good for me but nigh-impossible in a depressive state), and, without bills, was able to save enough for damage-deposit and rent."
"I still struggle with depression in a pretty serious way but the animal terror of having no where and no one really seared itself into me. A better motivation would be the-future-i-want than the-future-i-fear, but as it stands I at least have a motivator strong enough to escape the incredible gravity of mental illness."
thisimpetus
The Loneliness
"I was kicked out by my mother at 16 and spent 2 months homeless before the local authority placed me in foster care."
"I think what hit me first was how my own mother could make one of her own children homeless. I felt like the least favorite of her children - it all came out of nowhere, I racked my brain for years after, trying to think of what I might have done in particular."
"Also the crippling loneliness you feel when you are trying to get hold of people to ask for a place to sleep for the night. I could not feel more alone in the world when someone would either not answer my message or tell me they were busy."
"I'm pretty sure I camped out in the park that night. Didn't sleep at all."
disint3gration
Dope Sick
"I was getting high, so it really didn't truly sink in until I was broke and dope sick. Then the desperation started. Going to gas stations jumping car to car asking for money. Stealing what I had to. It was a miserable existence. There are so many things you don't think about when your not homeless... taking a shower, washing your clothes, and the boredom. Hours upon hours of nothing to do. And the constant noise. There was nowhere to go where it was truly quiet."
"Fortunately I eventually got arrested for shoplifting reached out to family who helped me get back on my feet"
eternalrefuge86
Savior Mom
"Had a single mom. We slept in a station wagon at the lake. We thought it was just an amazing summer camping trip. Mom didn't sleep much at all and when she did the slightest sound/movement woke her. Kept a pistol within hands reach at night since we had the windows down"
Fruitjustlistens
Had to Go
"I lived at school until I dropped out due to a bunch of personal reasons piling up. My mom was mad that I dropped out and wouldn't even talk to me the first few days after and my relationship with my father is complicated/nonexistent."
"I took the train to my home town, even though I didn't know what I would do or where I would go when I got there. I ended up staying the first night in my brothers room (not quite an apartment, just the one room with a kitchen and bathroom he shares with like 5 other people)."
"After that, I posted to social media that I was in this unfortunate situation, and a friend I had lost touch with despite once being very close offered that I could stay with him and his fiance until I got a place of my own."
"I never actually had to sleep outside, and I found an apartment after about one month so all in all I was pretty lucky with how it turned out."
"Oh and my mom and I are cool now, and my dad and I are also trying to rebuild our relationship after he finally divorced his no-longer-new wife (I've always referred to her as his new wife even though it's been over a decade)"
Xeeroy
No Safety
"I was homeless for a little while in the 80's. Its terrifying at first. You feel so unsafe. I was a teenager, and wasn't willing to close my eyes and sleep on a park bench alone. So, I went to a local shelter and lied about my age. The forced me to shower and do a pee test. It turns out the women in that shelter were scarier than the street so the next night I didn't go back. I slept in a park but ultimately made squatter friends and stayed with them. It was very much a community and I felt safe and loved there."
"The biggest problem with being homeless in the city is no one wants to let you use the bathroom. Even park bathrooms are locked. Squat peeing in between cars can be done quickly and undercover, but when you get your period its a nightmare.These days I have stability so I never pass a homeless person without buying them some food or giving them a little money. And if they use it for drugs or alcohol I don't care. Living on the streets is HARD, drink if you need to my friend."
doingthebattybat
Lies
"My ex wife made up a bunch of crap to get a restraining order. I got served at work while she simultaneously shut off my phone service and locked me out of our shared bank account."
"This was Jan 7 2016. I had a t-shirt and slacks to wear for clothes, and no where to sleep. My car didn't have working heat. Thank God for my parents who got me a hotel, new phone, and some money for clothes."
"I ended up living in an extended stay hotel for 2 months while I looked for an apartment, and got my affairs in order. The restraining order was dismissed, the divorce went to trial, and I got the house and the kids."
Choadmonkey
Not the First Time
"I don't recall my very first time exactly. I do remember looking for a friend that was homeless and his friends ended up watching over me. Everyone was drunk except me. I didn't sleep."
"More recently. Less than a month ago I lost my housing and everything I own. I'm alone this time. I sleep during the day and browse Reddit at night. I was homeless for 10 years the first time. And I am terrified now."
Tag2112
Just Wanting To Be Left Alone
"My first night was cold and more depressing than anything. I didn't have anywhere to go, as shelters in my area didn't do intakes on the weekends, and as it was, there were only two shelters for men (aka actual shelters that offered resources to help remedy that, as opposed to salvation-army-type "work programs" that required 40+ hours of working for them for little/no pay to just not sleep in a gutter). I had eaten maybe a can of chili in the previous few days (I was officially homeless within a week of the new year) and felt like crap for having to steal food to get something to eat. It was still winter break, so I slept in some bushes and shaded areas at ASU by the memorial union to avoid being harrassed. I did not sleep much."
"One point at the middle of the night, a cop car drove on the sidewalk (the walks were very wide in this part of campus) a few times and even stopped on the other side of the bushes. I was sure I'd be arrested. But nope, it drove off a moment later and didn't bother me the res of the night."
"I was 20 at the time."
"As for how I adapted, I kept as hidden from attention as I possibly could until I could get an intake at a shelter. I then took full advantage and tried my best. I ended up hospitalized for bad mental illness. Round two was much the same but as I was deemed SMI (Seriously Mentally Ill) by the state, I was given more resources and had case managers working to help me get referrals to housing. I got disability on my own. I now live with a family member in another city, but plan to try to get either section 8 or public housing."
[usernamedeleted]
The Car Is Your Best Friend
"I was homeless for a couple of months a year or two ago. I had a car and a low paying job so I lived in the woods in a tent for a bit. The first night was miserable. I ended up sleeping really uncomfortably in the passenger seat of my car and it was a really cold night. After that I got a tent and slept on an old climbing pad I had. The first night was hell but the next several weeks were actually not so bad. I had a spot in the woods where I was well hidden and would cook over a fire. I really didnt have it that bad but it gave me quite a bit of sympathy for people who really do end up on the streets in a much more desperate situation."
beanersalad
From Couch To Recovery
"Slept in my vehicle, couch surfed with a friend, squatted in an unused trailer; all while still working at a Walmart. Saved enough to get a crappy apartment and just kept going from there."
Source_Points
Walking To Nowhere
"I kept waking up in the middle of the night and would start walking "home". I'd get a few steps then stop and realize I had nowhere to go and turn and walk back over and lay on the ground."
"The ground is very cold and I felt a lot of shame."
WannabeMoonKnight
Tabletop Sleeping
"First night my wife and I landed up sleeping outside we slept in a local park that I knew. We had come down from the countryside with a few Rands (enough for 1 meal maybe) and had hoped to stay with a friend. He was unable to give us a place to stay, so we had to sleep outside."
"After the insecurity of that 1st night I told my wife that we have to find a safer place to sleep, so we climbed up the slopes of Table Mountain (about a 1 hour walk) and found quite a obscured spot amongst some bushes and trees. We cleared it out of sticks and rocks, made it a bit habitable and then went make to the city looking for work. We'd spend the day going from one place to the next looking for work until it started growing dark. Then we'd head up the mountain to our little spot for the night."
"Did that daily for a month until we were able to secure a small shack room in the townships, where we stayed for another few months until I get a job offer."
"Was my wife's temp waitering jobs that kept us fed whilst I was looking for work."
"Biggest challenge was mental, keeping focussed, clean, looking presentable and just making my job looking for a job."
The_Shape_Shifter
Anything To Get Away
"When I was a teenager I had lots of problems with my mom, I pretty much chose to be homeless. I slept at a Catholic Church across from my high school so I could still make it to school and graduate early. I remember feeling really sad because I slept where they put peoples ashes, and I remember being so sad that those people could comfort me in death more than anybody alive. I used to talk to them, if there's camera footage I look insane. I never realized how alone I was in the world until I was homeless. And I never realized how cold concrete can be, it chills you right to your bones and is painful."
Gembloo336
Nothing But Negative Thoughts
"I started being homeless at 19, a previous foster parent put me out for coming home from college one night, and I had called up a friend last minute. When I started to realize I wouldn't be able to crash or stay anywhere, I am fairly certain I started to dread, and spiral into a constant, underlying depressive state. All I could think about was "am I going to die like this? Do I matter? Will no one help me? I'm sad, I'm scared. I don't want to feel like I have to beg. What if I'm stuck like this? Is this really my life right now?" 19-26 was a very challenging time..."
neko-oji
Finding Resources Wherever You Go
"Sleeping in my car wasn't that bad. It was summer, so it was pretty warm which was my biggest issue."
"Showered in the gym, and spent most of my day at the library before going to work."
"For the first few nights it wasn't bad. However one night police found me sleeping in my car and escorted me to the local homeless shelter, which was one of the most terrifying nights of my life. Since I'm lying there in a top bunk, when a huge argument breaks out because one guy breaks out some drugs, wouldn't share it with a second, then a third got pissed and started screaming at them to be quite because he needed to sleep."
22cthulu
Too Young To Comprehend
"I didn't really realize what was going on, I was about 6-7 at the time. Dad said we were going to go for a drive and to pack my backpack with all the clothes I could fit and one toy. Mom was just crying. Me and my brother sat in the backseat, he was a little older and was holding our Sega Genesis and looking scared."
"We drove for a little while (it was already getting dark) and we parked in front of a Walmart and dad said he had to rest for a while. Was the first of many... many nights we slept in the car."
"I remember one of my parents was always awake, with their hand in their coat pocket. Looking back it was obvious they had a gun for protection, sleeping in shifts."
Xstitchpixels
Nothing Will Ever Make You Ready For It
"It was terrifying and cold and hungry. I didn't sleep a wink. I adapted over time. Extremely steep learning curve to surviving homelessness."
"Nothing really prepares you for it."
QuokkaNerd
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Rock bottom is a place where you expect nobody to help you, at all, ever, full stop.
Homelessness in our society is seen as rock bottom. Homeless people are ignored, maligned, and often feared. But once in awhile someone will be kind. Those kindnesses are so important and so well remembered, as they are so few and far between.
u/laur38 asked:
Former homeless people, what did you need the most? What was the best thing someone did for you?
Here were some of those answers.
Stockholm Is Using Digital Billboards To Help Their Homeless Population On Extremely Cold Nights
Stockholm, Sweden is a fairly large city, and it is the capital of a country known for its efforts to improve the human condition within its borders.
It may not come as a surprise, then, that Sweden is making some important changes to the electronic billboards throughout the city.
The billboards, the kind that you see on the streets and on the side of bus stops, will change their function during dangerously cold weather. When it is cold enough, the screens will display directions to the nearest shelter where homeless people can get out of the cold.
The average low temperature in Stockholm is 22° Fahrenheit. Though it can dip much lower than that, especially at night, when businesses where people who are homeless may go to escape the cold during the day aren't an option.
This program is a partnership between Clear Channel, who owns the billboards, and Stockholm's city government. In addition to maps, the screens will display information for those who want to help: how and where to volunteer or donate necessary supplies.
Courtesy of Clear Channel
According to Curbed, the billboards will change from advertisements to public awareness information of the temperature in the city drops below 19° Fahrenheit. When it gets that cold, the city works with local organizations to open emergency shelters, but "information about the establishment of the emergency shelters often does not reach the homeless in time."
Fifty-three of the city's billboards will be repurposed during dangerously cold weather, covering the streets that see the most traffic in an effort to reach as many people as possible.
They are internet-connected devices, so are able to retrieve location information and show detailed directions from a particular billboard to the nearest shelter and show when that shelter will be open.
Stockholm introduced the program in December of 2018, and it will run until the end of January 2019. During this time, Clear Channel will decide if it wants to expand the program to other Swedish cities.
Social media reactions were very positive, with many hoping the program would come to their area of the world.
@ash_smithn @zammit_marc That is brilliant!! 👍— Matt Boydston (@Matt Boydston) 1546969833
What a simple, but amazing way to help others! https://t.co/MWNV5QvxmQ— Jumbled Dreams-Changing Lives (@Jumbled Dreams-Changing Lives) 1547496450
When media becomes purposeful. U.S. markets like New York, Chicago, Philly, Detroit need to follow suite.… https://t.co/z6h67TX6nr— Nneka C. Ude (@Nneka C. Ude) 1547494961
Some pointed out that advertising and public service are not mutually exclusive; it is possible to find a balance.
Advertising & Public Service can co-exist. https://t.co/nUnwrj8PCU— Miker Rivero (@Miker Rivero) 1547494329
This is a great example of advertising for good: Clear Channel’s digital billboards help keep homeless people warm… https://t.co/fuqqNE7dpe— Afdhel Aziz (he/him) (@Afdhel Aziz (he/him)) 1547139004
Meanwhile, some criticized the practices of their city towards the homeless population, especially "hostile architecture."
Meanwhile, we add spikes to our public benches to prevent the homeless from using them. https://t.co/0hAFuNwyk5 via @Curbed— SpuddyKat (@SpuddyKat) 1547563418
Small, simple changes like this can make all the difference in improving the lives of people in a city, especially those who need help the most.