Homelessness

It can be intimidating, walking up to someone you don’t know in a city of 8.5 million people. Especially someone whose current situation feels so far removed from anything you've experienced. We asked three people who spend their lives engaging with our homeless neighbors for tips on how they do what they do.

Andrea Yee has lived in NYC for eight years. It wasn't until last year, when she volunteered with Don't Walk By, that she really felt a sense of ownership of the city. It changed the way she views her home, and she believes all New Yorkers should participate in this outreach at least once!

As New Yorkers, we do it every day. We see a homeless person on the street, huddled up in a sleeping bag or makeshift blankets, their few belongings littered around them...and we keep walking. What if we stopped?

The notion of feeding those who are hungry was not just a message spoken by John the Baptist, and it wasn’t merely an illustration Jesus used to describe the final judgement—it was how Jesus envisioned a life devoted to glorifying God.

During the winter months, there is great need to care for our homeless neighbors. At HFNY, we want to inform you how to engage and care for the poor and marginalized during one of the most challenging seasons of the year. Here are a few facts and tips about how to engage our homeless friends as well as organizations that are caring for the homeless in New York City.

You and I will not be able to solve the “homelessness problem” as defined by the world and the society we live in. But we can find a way to get people to the feet of Jesus and offer folks the one thing that we all need to live a life of purpose and meaning: we can offer hope. Here are 3 practical ways to offer hope to our friends on the street this winter.