We appreciate all our donors and volunteers who are helping make a big difference in the lives of Columbia’s growing unhoused population. These donations allow us to provide both survival supplies and material comforts for the folks we serve. During the winter, a hot cup of coffee (supplies for which were purchased by your donations!) let people wake up and feel alive again after a cold night outside, and the hand warmers we purchased and distributed helped them stay warm after we left. As we move into summer, the focus is going to shift from these warming supplies towards cooling supplies. We all know that Columbia is a brutally hot city, and if you’re living outside then things like ice cold drinks and popsicles are not just comforts, but essential for survival and are recurring operating expenses on our end.
In addition to meeting recurring needs, we have made several exciting large purchases recently! One of these was the long awaited prepaid bus tickets. These allow folks to get around the city in order to access their jobs or shelter spaces. Without access to the bus, they are forced to walk miles every day in the scorching hot Columbia sun and thanks to the city’s war on the unhoused population, services are being spread further apart, increasing the demand for bus fare. To meet this need, we started by purchasing 50 passes that allow 7 days of free transportation. As a pilot program, we have been distributing them to those who express a need for transportation, although we are currently planning to expand this by creating a more structured distribution mechanism and then purchasing more tickets. We have also begun distributing hygiene supplies in the form of 150 dental hygiene kits (a toothbrush, tube of toothpaste, and floss) and 200 hand sanitizer bottles. The population we serve is simply unable to afford healthcare, and so it is vitally important that they have access to the preventative supplies we take for granted.
GET INVOLVED: Donate to the Unhoused Benefit Fund as a one-time donation or a recurring donation.