How to Help a Homeless Person Without Giving Money: 29 Things to Do

The simplest way to help a homeless person on the street is to stop treating them like scenery: make eye contact, say hello, ask their name, and ask “Is there anything you need today?” If they name something you can get, like a meal, a coffee, water, socks or a bus pass, get that exact thing. If they say no, accept it and wish them a good day. Whether you also give cash is your choice, and the person in front of you deserves the same respect either way.

Below are 29 acts, grouped by the moment you are in: the first two minutes, what to give instead of money, connecting someone with help, emergencies in cold and heat, the person you pass every day, help that costs nothing, help with kids, and what to do later the same week. There is also a neutral look at the cash question, a list of what to say and what not to say, and a short section on safety and respect. Each act has an easier version, and the easier version counts. Most are free; the ones that cost money say so.

One rule for the whole list: let the person lead. They know what they need today better than you do. Ask, offer, and take “no thanks” as a full answer.

How to help a homeless person on the street: the first two minutes

These five acts give you a script for the awkward first moment. None of them cost anything.

1. Make eye contact and nod. When someone asks you for change or holds a sign, look at them for a second instead of past them. A nod says you see a person, not a problem to walk around. Easier: If you are walking fast, a quick look and a small wave as you pass.

2. Say hello like you would to anyone. “Hi, how’s it going?” or “Morning.” Use your normal voice, not a careful one. If you have nothing to give, say so plainly: “Sorry, I don’t have anything on me today, but I hope your day goes OK.” Easier: “Hi” and a smile.

3. Ask their name, and tell them yours. “I’m Dana, what’s your name?” Then use it once before you leave: “Take care, Marcus.” It turns a transaction into a meeting between two people. Easier: Just offer your own name.

4. Ask “Is there anything you need today?” This one question beats any guess you could make. You may hear “a coffee,” “socks,” “a charger,” or “nothing, I’m good.” Ask it before you buy anything. Easier: “Can I grab you something to eat?”

5. Accept “no” without pushing. If they say they are fine, say “OK, have a good one,” and go. Do not offer three alternatives or insist. A refusal is their right, and taking it gracefully is a kindness too. Easier: Say “No problem,” and leave it there.

How to help a homeless person without giving money: what to give instead

If you would rather not give cash, or do not carry any, these are things people commonly ask for. Let them choose.

6. Buy the meal they choose. “I’m going into the deli, what would you like?” Then buy exactly that, including the drink, and hand it over with the napkins and a fork. Do not swap their pick for something you think is healthier. Costs money, about $8 to $15. Easier: A large coffee or tea, made the way they like it.

7. Hand over a cold bottle of water. In warm weather especially, water may be the thing that matters most in the next hour. Buy it cold from the store you are walking out of. Costs money, about $1 to $3. Easier: Fill a refillable bottle you no longer need at a store tap.

8. Give a new pair of socks. Thick, plain socks in a men’s size, still in the package. Dry feet matter when you walk all day. Keep a pair in your bag or glove box for exactly this moment. Costs money, about $3 to $6 a pair from a multipack. Easier: Buy one multipack and split it across your car, your bag and your desk drawer.

9. Buy a transit pass or a fare card. A bus or train pass can mean getting to an appointment, a job interview, a shelter across town, or just out of the rain. Ask first whether it would be useful on their route. Costs money, about $2 to $25 depending on the pass. Easier: Pay for one ride when you are boarding the same bus.

10. Give a gift card to a nearby place that lets people sit. A card for a coffee shop, diner or fast-food place close by buys a meal and also a warm or cool seat for a while. Ask which place nearby they prefer before you buy it. Costs money, about $10 to $25. Easier: Buy the card for the place right behind you.

11. Keep a blessing bag in your car. A small bag with water, soft food, socks, hygiene items and a card listing local services means you always have something ready at a red light. The full packing list, plus how to hand one over from a stopped car, is in the guide to what to put in blessing bags. Costs money, about $10 to $15 a bag. Easier: Keep one bottle of water and one pair of socks in the door pocket.

Should you give money to homeless people?

This is one of the most common questions on the topic, and the honest answer is that it is your call. Thoughtful people land on both sides.

Reasons people give cash. It lets the person decide what they need most, which might be something you would never think of: a laundromat, a phone bill, a bus ticket, a night somewhere. It treats them as an adult who can manage their own life.

Reasons people choose something else. Some people prefer to give food or items so they know exactly what their help became. Some do not carry cash. Some would rather put the same money toward a shelter or meal program that reaches many people.

Neither choice makes you a better or worse person, and neither says anything about the person asking. If you give money, give it without conditions and without asking what it will be spent on; a gift with a lecture attached is not much of a gift. If you do not, say a kind no and, if you can, offer one of the acts above.

12. Decide your own approach before you are in the moment. Pick a rule you are comfortable with, such as “I give a few dollars when I have them,” “I always offer to buy food,” or “I give monthly to the local shelter and say hello in person.” Deciding at home means you will not freeze or second-guess yourself on the sidewalk. Free. Easier: Decide just for this week.

What to say to a homeless person, and what not to say

Short, normal sentences work best. Talk the way you would to a neighbor you are getting to know.

Things that help:

• “Hi, I’m Sam. What’s your name?”
• “Is there anything you need today?”
• “I’m grabbing lunch, can I get you something? What would you like?”
• “Sorry, I don’t have anything on me today. Take care.”
• “Would it help if I found out where the nearest shelter or meal is?”

Things to skip:

• “Why don’t you just get a job?” You do not know their story, their health, or what they have already tried. The question assumes a reason and puts them on trial.
• “How did you end up here?” It is personal. If they want to tell you, they will.
• “Promise me you’ll spend it on food.” Conditions turn a gift into a test, and they put the person in the position of having to reassure you.
• “God bless” or prayer as a substitute for help, unless they bring faith up first. It can land as a brush-off. If faith matters to both of you and they invite it, that is different.
• Talking about them to the person you are with, in front of them. Speak to them, not about them.

How to help a homeless person get help or find shelter

You need a few facts ready and the patience to ask before you act.

13. Learn your nearest shelter, day center and meal program before you need them. Find the name, address and hours of the closest overnight shelter, a day center where people can shower or charge a phone, and a free meal program. Call each one to check the hours are current. Save them in your phone. Free. Easier: Learn just the nearest free meal and its times.

14. Know that 211 reaches local services in most of the US. Dialing 211 connects to a community helpline in most areas, where someone can point to shelter, food, and other local services. You can mention it, or call it yourself to find out what is near you. Free. Easier: Save “211” in your phone with a note saying what it is for.

15. Write the information down for them. On the back of a receipt or a card, write the shelter address, the meal times, and “Dial 211 for local services.” A phone battery may be dead; paper still works. Free. Easier: Keep three pre-written index cards in your wallet.

16. Ask before you call anyone on their behalf. “Would you like me to call the shelter and ask if they have a bed tonight?” Then call only if they say yes, and put the phone on speaker so they hear everything. Calling someone about a person without asking takes away their choice. Free. Easier: Offer your phone so they can make the call themselves.

17. Offer to charge their phone. A working phone is how many people reach caseworkers, jobs and family. If you are in a café, offer a spare charging cable or your power bank for twenty minutes while you sit nearby. Costs money only if you buy a spare cable, about $5. Easier: Point out the nearest public charging spot or library.

When someone is in danger: cold, heat, and emergencies

18. Call 911 for a medical emergency. If someone does not respond when you speak to them from a few feet away and looks unwell, is having trouble breathing, or looks seriously ill or injured, especially in extreme cold or heat, call 911. Stay nearby until help arrives if it is safe to do so, and tell the dispatcher exactly where you are. Free. Easier: If you are unsure, call and describe what you see; the dispatcher will tell you what to do.

19. In extreme cold, find out about warming centers and outreach. Many cities run cold-weather outreach and open warming centers on the coldest nights, usually reachable through 211 or, in many cities, 311. If someone is outside on a freezing night and wants help, call and ask what is open and whether an outreach team can come. Free. Easier: Look up tonight’s warming center and tell the person the address.

20. In winter, give something warm right now. A hot drink, a pair of gloves from the store you are in, hand warmers from the checkout aisle, or a hat. Ask first which would help most. Costs money, about $3 to $15. Easier: A hot coffee or soup.

21. In heat, bring water and a place to cool down. On very hot days, a cold bottle of water, an electrolyte drink, or the address of the nearest cooling center or air-conditioned library can matter a lot. Many cities open cooling centers in heat waves; 211 or 311 can tell you where. Costs money, about $2 to $5. Easier: Hand over the cold water you just bought for yourself.

For more cold-weather ideas the whole family can do, see the list of winter acts of kindness for kids.

The person you pass every day

If the same person sits outside your station, office or grocery store, you can offer something a stranger cannot: being known.

22. Learn their name and use it every time. “Morning, Lisa.” Ask how they are doing and remember what they told you last time. Free. Easier: Learn the name this week and say it once.

23. Offer one small, consistent thing. A coffee every Friday, a sandwich on Mondays, a pair of socks at the start of each month. Ask what they would actually like. Costs money, about $3 to $10 a week. Easier: Ask “Want anything from inside?” once a week.

24. Notice when they are not there, and when they come back. If they have been gone a while, say “Good to see you, I wondered how you were” when they return. Do not press for where they went. Free. Easier: A wave and “Welcome back.”

How to help the homeless with no money, and with kids

You do not need a wallet to help, and children can take part safely when an adult does the talking. For a broader list of free acts, see acts of kindness that cost nothing.

25. Give your time and your attention. If someone wants to talk and you have ten minutes, sit or stand and listen. Ask about the dog, the book they are reading, the team on their hat. Free. Easier: Two minutes of conversation instead of a nod.

26. Pass on what you already have. Unopened hotel soaps, the spare umbrella in your car, a scarf you do not wear, the extra sandwich from a work lunch. Ask first: “I’ve got an extra umbrella, would you want it?” Free. Easier: Offer the snack in your bag.

27. With kids, let them do the kind part while you do the talking. A child can hold the door, say hello, hand over a bottle of water from the back seat, or draw a card that says “Have a good day.” An adult stays right there and does any talking with strangers. Afterward, answer their questions simply: everyone you saw is a person with a name and a story. Free. Easier: Let your child say “Hi” and wave from beside you.

What to do the same week

28. Volunteer one shift. Call a shelter, day center or meal program and ask whether they need help serving a meal, sorting donations or cleaning up. Many have regular slots and an orientation. If you want to bring children, the guide to volunteer ideas for kids and families covers age rules and what to do when the answer is no kids. Free. Easier: Sign up for one future shift and put it in your calendar.

29. Donate what shelters actually ask for, and speak up locally. Before you donate, check the shelter’s current needs list on its website or by phone; it often asks for new socks, underwear, toiletries or specific sizes, and it may not take used items. Then, if you want to go further, go to one city council or neighborhood meeting when housing or shelter funding is on the agenda and say you support it. Costs money if you buy items, about $10 to $30. Easier: Buy two things from the needs list and drop them off.

Staying safe and respectful

• You may always decline. If you feel unsafe or simply cannot help today, a kind “Sorry, not today” is fine. You never owe an explanation.
• Do not wake someone who is sleeping. Unless you think it is a medical emergency, let them rest, and leave nothing on top of them or their things.
• Do not photograph or post. Do not film the handover or post the person’s face, even blurred, next to your good deed. They did not agree to it, and it can follow them.
• Do not touch their belongings. A bag, a cart or a tent holds everything someone owns. Do not move, tidy or look through it.
• Do not force help. If they decline a shelter, a call, or food, that is their decision. Leave the information and go.
• Pick public places. In daylight, in a busy spot, from a stopped car, or with a friend is easiest for everyone. Children always stay beside an adult.

What to skip

• Buying food without asking. You might pick something they cannot eat for dental, health or dietary reasons. Ask first, then buy their pick.
• Leftovers and half-eaten food. It can feel like being handed scraps. Sealed or freshly bought is better.
• Used clothes handed over on the street. Sizes are a guess, and carrying extra weight is hard. Give new socks in person and take used coats to a coat drive.
• Calling police or anyone else about someone who is not in danger. If no one is hurt and nothing is wrong, a call can bring them unwanted attention and move them on from the one spot they had. Ask before you call, and call 911 only for an emergency.
• Turning it into content. Filming a handout for social media makes the person a prop in your story.

Frequently asked questions

What should I give a homeless person instead of money?

Ask what they need, then get that. Common asks are a meal they choose, a coffee, cold water, new socks, a transit pass, or a gift card to a nearby place where they can sit for a while. Keeping a blessing bag in the car means you always have something ready.

Is it OK to give a homeless person money?

Yes, if you want to. Some people give cash because it lets the person decide what they need most; others prefer to give food, items, or a donation to a local shelter. It is your choice, and if you do give money, give it without conditions or questions about how it will be spent.

What do you say to a homeless person?

Say hello, ask their name, and ask “Is there anything you need today?” If you cannot help, say “Sorry, I don’t have anything on me today, take care.” Skip questions about how they became homeless or why they do not have a job.

How can I help a homeless person find shelter?

Learn the nearest shelter, day center and meal program before you need them, and know that dialing 211 reaches local services in most of the US. Write the details on paper for the person, and ask before calling anyone on their behalf. If someone is in danger from cold or heat, many cities run outreach through 211 or 311, and a medical emergency is always 911.

Where to go from here

Do one thing today: the next time someone asks you for help, look them in the eye, say hello, and ask their name. That is the first tick, and it costs nothing. For more ways to be kind to people you may never see again, see the kindness for strangers page, and if you want one small act chosen for you each day, the free daily kindness challenge gives everyone the same act, with a streak to keep.

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Reading a guide is easy; changing your habits is hard. The free daily kindness challengesends one small act at a time so kindness becomes a practice, not a bookmark.

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