Your compassion matters

Across the West Midlands, people are stepping up when they see someone experiencing street homelessness. Whether it is offering a meal, warm clothing, or a kind word, these acts of generosity reflect the deep care within our communities.

But many frontline teams, including local councils, homelessness charities, safeguarding professionals, and the police, are encouraging a different kind of support. One that not only responds to crisis but helps prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Homelessness Taskforce is leading a regional effort to design out homelessness, building a system that supports people from the first moment of need through to long-term recovery and independence. This approach follows the Positive Pathway model, which focuses on coordinated support, early intervention, and lasting change.

 

If you want to help, you are already part of the solution. And by understanding how best to direct your time, kindness, or resources, you can make an even greater impact.

 

Why giving directly on the streets can do more harm than good.

We know many community and grassroots groups are already planning to support people across the region this winter, especially around Christmas. Your care and commitment are deeply appreciated. It’s clear that you want to make sure no one feels forgotten at a difficult time of year.

If you are planning to give out food, warm items, or other essentials on the streets, please consider connecting with established local homelessness services and commissioned outreach teams. When help is coordinated, it’s safer for everyone and more likely to lead to long-term support for those in crisis. Working together means we can offer not just kindness, but also stability, connection, and a route off the streets.

We would love to hear from groups doing this important work. By sharing your plans and being part of a wider network, you can help ensure efforts are joined-up and supportive of the Positive Pathway approach that aims to end rough sleeping for good.

Giving food, bedding, or clothing directly to someone experiencing street homelessness might feel like the right thing to do in the moment. But homelessness professionals across the region are seeing the unintended consequences of this kind of giving.

The people who work on the frontline see things most of us don’t. They’ve shared some of the hidden risks that can come from even the kindest intentions

1. People’s safety can be put at risk

Many people who are experiencing street homelessness are dealing with serious challenges, including trauma, poor mental health, substance misuse, or exploitation. Volunteers, although well-intentioned, may not be equipped to spot or respond to these risks.

Offering tents can increase someone’s exposure to harm, including violence or theft. Distributing items at night or in isolated areas can also place volunteers at risk. Without safeguarding training or experience, even kind interactions can trigger distress. Providing tents may also unintentionally encourage people to remain on the streets rather than connecting with the support available through local services, where they can access safety, advice, and longer-term help. For details of organisations and services that can offer the right kind of support across the West Midlands, visit www.streetsupport.net/wm

Grassroots groups often want to show kindness and meet immediate needs such as food or blankets, especially during cold weather or around holidays. But without a link to local safeguarding or outreach teams, there is a risk of missing urgent warning signs. For example, someone may appear grateful but be in physical or mental distress. Commissioned outreach workers are trained to spot these concerns and respond safely. If your group wants to help, consider working in partnership with local services that you can been connected to through Street Support West Midlands so your support strengthens, rather than replaces, safety systems already in place.

2. People can be targeted by exploiters

Alongside these safety concerns, outreach teams are also deeply worried about another danger – how easily people living on the streets can be targeted and exploited. This can include:

• Sexual exploitation
• Forced begging or labour
• Being pressured into carrying or selling drugs
• Being coerced into criminal activity to repay ‘debts’

“Everybody has the right to be treated with dignity. Yet through Crisis’ services we hear of people experiencing homelessness who have faced exploitation – forced to take part in sex work, work as a live-in servant or take part in crippling manual labour, working all hours of the day for little to no money, scared and feeling there is no way out. No-one should be forced to live like this” – (No Way Out and No Way Home, Crisis, 2021)

Providing tents or warm bedding without knowledge of someone’s situation may unintentionally make them a target. It may also make it harder for professionals to locate and support someone who is being exploited. Local safeguarding teams and outreach workers are trained to look for signs of harm and offer a safe route away from danger. Unplanned help, even when meant kindly, can delay that process.

Exploitation often goes unseen. Someone might appear to be managing, but in reality, they may be under pressure or control from others. Giving out tents or cash can unintentionally reinforce exploitative arrangements. Trained outreach teams can carry out checks and offer safe exit routes from these situations, often in partnership with safeguarding, police and health teams. Community groups play an important role in raising awareness and can help by reporting concerns to the commissioned rough sleeper outreach teams via StreetLink or local safeguarding leads, rather than trying to intervene alone.

3. It can interrupt the journey off the streets

Even when someone isn’t facing direct harm, uncoordinated giving can still interrupt their journey off the streets. Commissioned outreach teams across the West Midlands work hard to build trust and help people move into safe accommodation as part of the Positive Pathway. That process often relies on carefully timed offers of support.

When food, tents, or supplies are given informally, it can unintentionally slow that progress. A person might choose to stay where they are or miss the chance to connect with outreach workers who can offer lasting help. Every interaction matters. By linking your support with local services, each act of kindness becomes part of a joined-up plan that helps someone take a step forwards, not sideways.

4. It can lead to duplication and missed needs

Without coordination, large amounts of the same items are often handed out in the same areas, such as sandwiches or sleeping bags. Meanwhile, other essential needs go unmet.

Items may not meet safety standards, dietary needs, or even be suitable for the weather. Waste can build up quickly, creating further challenges for councils and local communities. When support is not planned or informed by what is already happening, it can create more pressure rather than less.

Local authorities and frontline charities often map out when and where food and essentials are needed most. Without this overview, some areas become overwhelmed while others are left out. Your group can avoid waste and maximise your impact by checking with Street Support West Midlands or commissioned local coordinators to see what’s already happening and where your help could meet unmet needs. This also ensures donations meet safety standards and reach people who are not just visible, but vulnerable.

5. It can confuse and overwhelm people in crisis

Rough sleeping can be chaotic and frightening. People may be navigating trauma, poor health, or confusion. When multiple groups or individuals approach with different offers, it can be overwhelming.

People may lose track of appointments, withdraw from formal services, or simply not know who to trust. In some cases, they may move around in ways that make them harder to find, which increases their risk.

People living in crisis need consistency and clarity to begin trusting again. When multiple groups offer different types of help in different ways, it can be hard to know where to turn. Sometimes, people will disengage from structured support because informal help feels easier. But that can delay real change. Working in partnership with outreach teams helps keep support consistent, clear, and focused on long-term outcomes. You can still play a valuable role, but within a wider support system.

6. It can cause unintended impacts in public spaces

When food waste is left behind, tents are pitched in doorways, or groups gather in sensitive areas, it can affect how people feel about the city centre. Residents or businesses may raise complaints, and enforcement may follow. This can push people even further from the support they need. It’s also important to remember that when donated items or leftover food are handed out, the person receiving them can become responsible for disposing of any waste. If rubbish builds up or is left behind, this can sometimes lead to fines or enforcement action against those already in vulnerable situations. Thinking carefully about how and where support is offered helps protect everyone involved and keeps the focus on helping people access safe, lasting help.

It can also damage the relationships that homelessness services are working hard to build between communities, support providers, and local authorities.

The goal is always to support people with dignity. But if support is given in public spaces without coordination, it can lead to complaints or enforcement that harms the very people you are trying to help. It also risks damaging relationships between frontline services and the communities they serve. Grassroots action is powerful, but it works best when it is part of a wider plan. By planning with others and considering the long-term consequences of where and how you give, you help protect people from fines, dispersal or harm –  and you help keep public support strong for compassionate, systemic responses.

7. There can be risks to health

While giving out blankets or sleeping bags to individuals who are sleeping rough can feel like an immediate way to offer comfort, it is important to be aware of the potential health risks. These risks affect both the person receiving the items and others who may use them later.

When people are sleeping rough, access to hygiene facilities is limited. There typically isn’t anywhere safe and clean for the bedding to be kept when not in use, and bedding is often reused or shared between individuals without being properly cleaned. This increases the risk of spreading skin infections and other health issues, including:

• Impetigo– a contagious skin infection that causes sores and blisters
• Ringworm– a fungal infection that spreads through contact with infected materials
• Scabies– caused by mites that burrow into the skin and cause intense itching and irritation

These conditions can be painful and may lead to further complications, especially for people already dealing with poor health or exposure to the elements.

An alternative way to help: Support the Positive Pathway

All of these challenges point to something simple but powerful: compassion has the greatest impact when it is connected. Across the West Midlands, partners are already working together to design out homelessness through a coordinated system of support that focuses on prevention, early intervention, safe accommodation, recovery, and move-on opportunities.

There are many ways that you can be involved in this regional effort, helping to keep people safe and supported on their journey home.

Use Street Support West Midlands

Street Support is a one-stop place to find out what help is available. You can:

• Find organisations near you who are preventing or relieving homelessness and are in need of items or funding
• Volunteer safely with trusted local charities
• Share up-to-date information so people can find the help they need before they need it.

If you would like to be added to the Street Support West Midlands mailing list to find out how you can give your time, items or donate to trusted local charities supporting people out of homelessness, contact westmidlands@streetsupport.net

See someone sleeping rough? Let the right team know

If you see someone bedding down to sleep rough, the most effective way to help is by letting the local outreach team know through StreetLink. This connects your alert to professionals who are trained to find people, check on their wellbeing, and offer support.

A good StreetLink alert includes clear details such as the

• exact location (including nearby landmarks or shop names),
• what the person looks like,
• the time they were seen,
• and any other helpful information.

Using a What3Words location can be especially useful, as it helps outreach teams pinpoint the exact spot quickly and accurately. The more specific the information, the better the chance the team has of reaching the person and offering help.

Give through Change into Action

If you want to give money, Change into Action and Alternative Giving CIO are safe and effective ways to support people experiencing or at risk of rough sleeping in your local area. Every donation is managed by local professionals who ensure funds go directly to individuals for what they need.

This could include ID, travel to appointments, clothing for work, rent deposits or household essentials. This type of alternative giving scheme is available in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton

visit Changeintoaction.org.uk to find out more

Working together to prevent homelessness: The Commitment to Collaborate

The Commitment to Collaborate (C2C) Toolkit, developed by the WMCA Homelessness Taskforce with Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC), supports any organisation to take part in preventing homelessness. Whether you are part of a community group, faith organisation, school or charity, you do not need to be a housing or homelessness specialist to make a difference.

The toolkit helps you look for opportunities and set actions that will have the greatest impact on preventing homelessness as early as possible. This includes moments when the issue may not be clearly recognised as homelessness. Where homelessness does occur, the aim is to respond with fast, effective support that leads to sustainable, long-term solutions. By using this toolkit, you can take meaningful, practical steps that support people before crisis happens and contribute to the wider effort to design out homelessness across the West Midlands.

How faith and community groups can get involved

Faith and community groups play a vital role in supporting people facing homelessness. The WMCA Homelessness Taskforce recognises this and offers dedicated support through its Faith and Communities approach. Since 2020, WMCA has appointed a Faith and Communities Development Officer to help groups collaborate more closely with local authorities and services, promote safe and effective practice, and co-design solutions that prevent homelessness before it starts. If your group would like to get involved or explore how you can contribute to the regional effort to design out homelessness, you can contact Jon Hyde,  Faith and Communities Development Officer for Homelessness, jon.hyde@wmca.org.uk 

Let’s design out homelessness together

Homelessness is not inevitable. It is something we can prevent and solve with the right support, relationships, and systems in place. Your compassion is a vital part of that journey.

By choosing to give in informed, coordinated ways, you help ensure that every person sleeping rough in the West Midlands has the best possible chance to move forward.

If you are already giving or want to get involved, we would love to connect. Together, we can build a region where no one needs to sleep rough and where support is safe, respectful, and lasting.