Not houselessness itself. Not it's conditions and causes and rates and all that. No demographics either.
There's a side to houselessness that people do not see. Most interactions between housed and dirty besides police is charitable shit; He told me God loves me and gave me a $20. It doesn't often go beyond that, except maybe the occasional conversation between a homeless person and the person behind the counter at 7-11.
My best friend is a chronically houseless person. He has a sick fucking camp and doesn't give a fuck about being homeless.
I'm either friends with or acquaintances with like several dozen unhoused people who regularly come into the store I work graveyard at, on east side Portland, Oregon. We They are a vibrant culture of their own, living in the shadows of a day that doesn't belong to us them. I have friends with cool personalities and backgrounds. I want to use this as an opportunity to teach you guys about unhoused people, the culture they have; what they do, and all that shit.
So yeah, ask away.
Is it ever a good idea to gift items to homeless people or is cash generally the best route? In case non-cash gifts can be appreciated, what things tend to be demanded most?
I know I liked to get cash because I had a lot of frivolous shit I wanted to buy not because it was survival related but because it was validating. Stuff like eyeliner and black nail polish. I was also able to have a phone with service through a pay as you go plan. All of that is outside the realm of what unhoused people typically want, need, or receive from strangers. I recommend either giving cash or asking if you can buy them something.