Quick Tips for Everyday Outreach
Simple, practical guidance to help you feel prepared, confident, and compassionate during every outreach moment.
Trust Your Instincts
If you are ever on the street sharing care bags and possibly Street Care lessons and feel that something isn’t quite right, you should always trust your gut feeling. It could be someone staring at you in a way that makes you uneasy, or maybe someone makes a comment that makes you uncomfortable…
The Approach
So you’re ready to have the first interaction. But how do you break the ice? The first thing to remember is that homeless people are people too. No matter how they look, no matter their gender, age, or race…
Complement and Connect
If you spot signs of mental illness in a person you have approached, try engaging them in a way that puts them at ease. A quick compliment is an easy and effective way to approach this situation…
Engaging in Conversation
When trying to engage in conversation, you want to be aware and respectful of that person’s time. If they are occupied with something else, keep your interactions short, unless they invite you to engage further…
Respecting People's Space
The closest you should be to a homeless person while doing street outreach is just to hand them the bag. If they ask you to place the bag near you, then do that. You don’t know their story and they may feel threatened to have others come too close to their personal space…
