How You Can Help D.C. Service Providers During the Federal Homelessness Crackdown

Ways to Help

We encourage people to give these items a read to see how they can help, and to start thinking about what this list might look like in their own communities. The president has already indicated that he plans similar occupation of other cities, so it is essential that we are all prepared to help one another out during future emergencies.

• Collect donations for one or more organizations (including direct service organizations and mutual aid groups) that can be used as flexible dollars to assist individuals being directly impacted.   
• Help impacted individuals move around quickly: if you are local to the DMV, consider purchasing SmarTrip cards for public transportation. If you are unable to make it to a sales location, consider purchasing Uber gift cards.
• Volunteer to support translation services either in person or over the phone, in real time. If you live in a community where multiple languages are spoken, create a group of volunteers who can respond to needs for translation in real time.   
• Volunteer to help organize, recruit, and support volunteers for organizations that have a surge of requests but do not have the capacity to manage.    
• Organize local events to make comfort bags for people. Consider: reusable water bottle, socks, sunscreen, soft, Nutri-Grain bars, hydration powder, body cleaning wipes, rechargeable cell phone battery packs, etc.  
• Check in with local providers in Washington, D.C. to ask for wish list items – for example, large meal deliveries, hosting a game night or movie night to bring some joy. Many have wish lists on their websites where you can purchase the items they most immediately need and have them shipped directly. 
• If local to D.C., offer temporary space to safely secure belongings for impacted individuals, or consider joining the D.C. Landlord Partnership Fund by leasing your rental unit to someone exiting homelessness.