5. Respond With Kindness
The actor Danny Aiello never passes a person on the street without giving something. If he has no money he at least gives them a kind word. he never yells at them or says, "Get a job."
Every day a blind homeless man recognizes Aiello by his aftershave. He says "Hi, Danny" and "Thanks." He hears no coins hitting his plate. Danny always gives him a bill.
Phyllis Cohen still remembers the homeless woman she encountered at New York's Penn Station. She gave the woman $1 and asked her which was the nearest exit to Macy's.
"Her face lit up like a corpse come to life," Ms. Cohen recalls. "She gave me detailed directions and walked with me to be sure I got it right, talking animatedly all the way. It seemed as though by asking something of her, by assuming she had something to give, I had validated, or reinstated, her personhood.
"I think of her often, of her reacting as though I;d given her a great gift. Sometimes I consider going to Penn Station to seek her out, but I hope not to find her there."
List of all 54 Ways
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54 Ways You Can Help The Homeless - Overview