This time of year presents unique challenges for people who don't have a place to live. The temperatures drop and the need for shelter skyrockets. But for those who see people living on the streets and want to help, the best way to do so is not always clear, especially if the situation feels urgent, unpredictable, or dangerous.
David Giffen is the executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless. He joined WNYC’s "Morning Edition" host Michael Hill this week to talk about what to do.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Michael Hill: Mr. Giffen, what does Coalition for the Homeless recommend we do when we want to help people we see who are unhoused this time of year?
David Giffen: What many people need is just information about where they can get help because there are lots of different types of help that an individual might need. The first thing I would recommend is to give them the phone number of the coalition's crisis hotline. Our crisis services help about 10,000 people a year. So you can go to our website to find that, it's 888-358-2384. You know, we also have a printable PDF that has all kinds of resources for people experiencing homelessness — everything from where they think where they can get food to clothing. So you can go to our website and print that out.
And in fact, we have a whole page called how to help that presents you with all kinds of different scenarios you might come across, and then gives you advice about what to do in that situation.
How is the crisis hotline different from a 311 call?
Well, when you call 311 generally what happens is the city will deploy law enforcement. Sending uniformed police officers to involuntarily remove somebody from the subway system — which is the city's preferred method now — really doesn't give people the help that they need. Look, if you see somebody who is apparently presenting a danger to themself or to others, call 311 or 911 in that situation.
But what we need to see happening more often is trained mental health professionals being deployed, who know how to de-escalate situations, and who can offer people the help they need.
Let's say we're walking by a person who is unhoused, and the person's on the street. We want to do something in that very moment. No donating to an organization at that moment, but what do we do?
Look, if you feel comfortable giving somebody food, clothing, money, please do so. If you see a human being that's suffering and in need, it's very hard to walk by and not want to do something directly. You know, I have kids, and for my 9 year old it's impossible for her to walk by somebody on the street and not demand to stop and try to talk to them and try to give them money.
I wish we all, you know, stayed in touch with our inner child in that way because we all do have that desire to help somebody in trouble. If you feel uncomfortable or if it feels like a situation that might present some physical danger — which is, by the way, extremely rare — then don't do so.
Another situation, what do you recommend if someone is experiencing medical distress? Let's say someone looks like they may be hypothermic, while some folks may call the police in that instance, others may be reluctant to do so, maybe because of their own experiences with law enforcement. What do you recommend?
If somebody is in imminent danger, call 911. Don't hesitate. They're going to need medical help in that situation. So that is absolutely the advice. If you see somebody who looks like they're in trouble and in imminent physical danger, then definitely call 911.
Can you think of a place where they're getting it right or close to right in terms of dealing with the issue of the unhoused on the street?
Yeah, you know, unfortunately, we have to get in an airplane and fly to Helsinki. Helsinki as a city fully adopted the housing first model to address homelessness. The housing first model means that you approach somebody who's without a home and you say, “Here's an apartment.” You just put them in the apartment and it's not contingent upon participation in any kind of program. Once they're housed, then you offer them the help that they need. The housing first model is very successful. Helsinki used it to effectively eliminate homelessness in that city. There are effectively no housing first programs operating in New York City anymore. There are some that are very successful at it, but their units are full and there's a two- or three-year waiting list for any vacancy.