Access Denied | Don’t know how to help? Sharing useful information can be impactful
It snowed in Portland. A lot. Like a historic amount. And, of course, because our social safety net resembles a threadbare produce bag, a lot of folks are quite literally left in the cold. There are warming shelters open, but unlike those of us who are Extremely Online, people just trying to get by may not have this information readily available.
And that is where the rest of us come in.
I’ve encountered a lot of people who want to help — who want to be part of the solution, who want to reduce human suffering in some kind of way. But because they’re not career service workers (or even people who pride themselves on being social), they aren’t sure how. But they can. Not everyone will dedicate their lives to helping houseless folks, but we can all do a tiny amount by helping to spread information.
Sometimes the best thing you can provide someone who is living outside is a little bit of information.
Say there’s a snowstorm. Even though you, yourself, might not need to know the locations of warming shelters, consider looking at local news coverage or the Instagram or Twitter feed of your favorite street paper. Odds are they’ll have that information — which means you’ll have it, which means you can pass it along. And it doesn’t even have to be weird or condescending or paternalistic. You can just share information with someone who might need or want it.
This happened to me while I was out walking/skating recently. I passed by a group of folks who asked the time. We got to chatting, and I asked if they had a place to warm up that night. They kind of shrugged and expressed prior unfortunate experiences with emergency shelters (which is fair — they’re not exactly comfortable and often come with a lot of rules or mandatory prayer). I told them that I totally get it, but that it was going to be below freezing again tonight, so just in case, told them about a place to go. I knew it because I’d read an article earlier in the day and had noted a location of a very close warming shelter that wouldn’t turn anyone away. I gave it to them and went on my way.
I had no money to give. I didn’t have my purse, so I didn’t have a pair of socks or a Luna bar. All I had was information. And that information may not have mattered at all. But in the event that it did matter — that they used it, or even that they shared it with someone else — then it’s worth getting over our “housed people” fear of being awkward.
Sometimes, the only thing we have to give is what we know. So, housed person reading this, consider expanding what you know. Then offer it to people. They may not use it — but they also might need it.
Hanna Brooks Olsen is a writer in the Pacific Northwest.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly investigative publication covering economic, environmental and social inequity. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
© 2023 Street Roots. All rights reserved. | To request permission to reuse content, email editor@streetroots.org or call 503-228-5657, ext. 404
