Take a walk, ride or drive through just about any neighborhood in Philadelphia, from high-income Center City to opioid-riddled Kensington, and you’ll likely encounter one or more of the estimated 5,191 Philadelphians (as of 2024) currently experiencing homelessness.

That number follows a promising downward trajectory since the City began taking part in its annual, nationwide Point-in-Time (PIT) Count each winter. Nonetheless, the count leaves out people staying in unregulated conditions such as abandoned dwellings, or living out of vehicles — or just out of view of the good people doing the counting.

Fortunately, there’s quite a bit that we as citizens can do — right now — to help Philadelphians experiencing homelessness. Here are 14 ways.

How to help Philadelphians experiencing homelessness

1. MAKE A CALL

Are you concerned about your own housing stability? Contact the City’s 24-hour Homeless Outreach hotline, which connects you to City organizations in addition to nonprofits such as Project HOME at (215) 232-1984.

The City posts easy-to-follow directions on getting help on their website. As does Project HOME: Their “Where To Turn” guide specifically points people experiencing homelessness to the best places for help in any number of situations — the guide can also be helpful for concerned citizens as well.

Are you concerned about someone else? The City of Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services also operates a hotline for people looking to help other citizens experiencing homelessness. That number is (215) 232-1984.

2. DONATE CASH — AND BOOST YOUR DONATION

Pheed Philly, for example, uses dollar-based donations to build care packages for those experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia.

And while you’re at it, ask about a donation-matching program at your company. If there’s a program in place, that’s a painless way to double or even triple your giving.

3. DONATE EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS

If you prefer to donate in-kind, you can also contact Pheed Philly who will give you a list of items to build your own care packages for those experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia.

Another place that collects everyday goods to redistribute is the Bethesda Project, which offers shelter and services for people in need: Here’s their list of needs as of Fall 2025.

You might also check Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission, which also posts an ongoing list of needs, or HopePHL, which is the integration of the former People’s Emergency Center and Youth Service, Inc.,which has already set up a holiday wishlist, but where you can also contact to make gifts-in-kind. People experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity are often in need of these items:

• Pads
• Tampons
• Toothbrushes
• Travel-size drugstore items such as: soap, shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, hand sanitizer, body wipes, moisturizer / lotion, including foot-healing cream, tissues, toothpaste
• Jeans, especially men’s
• Shoes, especially men’s
• Socks, especially men’s
• Underwear and bras
• Bottled water
• Washcloths
• Power or snack bars
• Raingear (rain boots, tarps, raincoats)
• SEPTA passes

4. VOLUNTEER

Organizations rely on volunteers to do all kinds of work — and it’s a great way to get involved without writing a check or donating anything but your time! Following the pandemic, volunteering may look a little different than in pre-pandemic times, but there are still countless ways to get involved.

Bethesda Project, for instance, offers online and offsite options to volunteer, such as making activity kits for residents, hosting virtual BINGO, or serving as a courier for goods between locations. Depending on your comfort level with Covid, there are ways to volunteer virtually, or individually.

Other groups, like Broad Street Ministry, Valley Youth House, Project HOME and Morris Home offer a range of volunteer opportunities (Mail-sorting! Mentoring! Personal shopping! Mask-making! And more!).

There are also dozens of homeless shelters in Philadelphia. Visit their websites or call to find out what their volunteer needs are at this moment.

5. PUT IN SOME ELBOW GREASE

Set aside some time on weekends or days off to help increase the amount of affordable housing in Philadelphia. You can help build or renovate homes via programs like Habitat for Humanity (Habitat Philly CEO Corrine O’Connell writes in the Citizen about making housing more affordable) and Rebuilding Together Philadelphia. Both organizations provide opportunities to get involved as much or as little as you want, through multiple or one-time volunteer opportunities.

6. SUPPORT LOCAL RESTAURANTS THAT SUPPORT HOMELESS AND HUNGRY CITIZENS

Many Philly-owned restaurants and bars go out of their way to help people experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia. Triple Bottom Brewing in Spring Garden, for instance, works with local organizations like Project HOME to help people who are formerly unhoused find employment.

At Brewerytown’s Spot Burger, owner Josh Kim makes sure anyone who needs a meal gets one. You can pay it forward, too, not just by eating at Spot Burger but also by Venmo’ing cash.

Speaking of paying it forward, The Hart of Catering & Cafe’s Pay-It-Forward program (in partnership with the Welcome Church) allows customers to pay for a future visitor’s meal by sticking a post-it on the wall next to the cafe’s front door.

Eater Philadelphia has a list of restaurants that give to organizations fighting homelessness in Philly — from raising money, to donating food, to collecting coats. It’s easy — if you are able — to support these restaurants which then in turn support the community.

7. HELP LOCALS WHO ARE HELPING ALREADY

It’s part of the Citizen’s mission to cover local folks who are doing their part in unique ways to help support Philadelphians experiencing housing insecurity.

There’s 16-year-old Declan Cassidy – his nonprofit Socks for the Streets has donated tens of thousands of socks alone to vulnerable community members, in addition to collecting many donations of other types of clothing, hygiene products, and food. You can donate money or items to the cause on their website.

Writer Courtney Duchene investigated how Philly could become the first major U.S. city to end homelessness with concrete advice and statistics from some of the city’s top experts on homelessness, from Dr. Vincent Reina of Penn’s Housing Initiative, to Project HOME CEO Donna Bullock. Joshua Santiago’s nonprofit Empowering Cuts has given more than 8,000 free haircuts to people living on the street — serving up not just style, but dignity. You can support Empowering Cuts by donating via their website.

You can check out other citizens that are doing their part to better the city of Philadelphia here.

8. USE YOUR OWN BUSINESS FOR GOOD

Own a company and need good, dependable help?

Employment agency First Step Staffing provides well-trained jobseekers — many from vulnerable populations — to local employers. Atlanta-based First Step debuted in Philly in 2018. Last year alone, the program employed 2,406 people, 73 percent of whom were recently experiencing homelessness.

9. SUPPORT GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS

There are tons of grassroots groups in Philly working to provide everyday essentials to the homeless in Philadelphia, including D.O.P.E (Doing Our Part Eclectically), which regularly sets up tables to feed homeless citizens at Thomas Paine Park. D.O.P.E. also offers other programs such, as free haircuts.

On the first Sunday of each month, the peddlers of PMA Bike Ride hit the road to deliver pizza to the hungry on the street. And Distributing Dignity provides women in need with bras and feminine hygiene products — which often go overlooked in collections of essential needs.

Check out our collection of articles about how to help homeless Philadelphians for more ideas of groups to join or get involved with.

10. DONATE TO THRIFT STORES

As we noted above, you can always donate gently used clothing and goods to homeless shelters and other organizations that look to redistribute high-quality essentials to people in need. But you can also unload some things that you own but don’t use — especially cold-weather gear — to the Goodwill or Salvation Army, Philly AIDS Thrift, or, Second Mile, which provides job experience and income to those who might struggle to access the job market because of homelessness or past incarceration.

(These places are a great resource for citizens on a limited budget looking for affordable clothing options — and reuse is always the environmentally-friendly way to go.)

11. BUY A CANDLE. OR A MUG. OR A GIFT BOX.

One of the many, many options Project HOME offers as a way to put a dent in homelessness is by shopping their little online store. It’s full of lovely artisanal products created by Project HOME residents, products that create employment opportunities within the organization.

12. LEARN – AND TALK – MORE ABOUT HOMELESSNESS

Donating and volunteering are obviously effective ways to help address homelessness in Philadelphia, but it’s also useful to understand the circumstances that often lead to problems.

Consider checking out this helpful infographic, which helps to explain the factors that lead to homelessness — and the most common places it takes place.

Shift the Bay and All Home have a great guide to talking about homelessness – so that after you’ve started to learn more about the causes, factors, and avenues towards solutions towards the unhoused crisis, you can talk to your communities about it. United Way also outlines ways parents can talk to their kids about homelessness.

13. CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Tell the politicians in Philadelphia that we need more supportive housing, more beds for those experiencing homelessness, and more effective avenues for dealing with housing insecurity and paths toward homes for everyone. Find out how to contact your elected officials here. You can also visit Project HOME’s advocacy page to see how you can support efforts already underway.

14. LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY’RE SEEN

Acknowledging our fellow citizens who are experiencing homelessness, even if it’s just to say hello or even an “I’m sorry, but I can’t help today,” is a small but important thing, particularly to someone who might otherwise feel invisible.