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As the number of homeless people in Honolulu has increased, some retailers are moving to address this trend by offering more clothing and beauty supplies. Read more
As the number of homeless people in Honolulu has increased, some retailers are moving to address this trend by offering more clothing and beauty supplies.
But while the idea of donating goods to homeless people may seem like a good idea in theory, there are some pitfalls.
“It does need to be taken with caution,” said Mabel Topping, the executive director of the Chinatown Community Center.
Topping and four other experts who spoke to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about donating goods to the homeless weighed in on the topic.
“It’s not a bad idea, but it does need to be done with caution and awareness,” Topping said.
“I think there is a fine line between the homeless and the (potential) abusers.”
One of the biggest issues with giving away things to homeless people is who you give them to, said Carol Kaneko, the executive director of the Rainbow Wahine Scholarship Fund.
“A lot of organizations try to give it to those who are most in need, but also to those who will return it or give it back or do something with it,” Kaneko said.
“A lot of organizations that do this, when they are not getting the return on the item, they are just throwing the item away.”
In the case of to-go containers, Kaneko advises not to buy them as gifts.
“I think you need to ask the consumer, ‘Is this a gift or is this something I would actually want?’ ” Kaneko said.
Donating new clothes for the homeless can also create a potential safety issue, said Ronald Yee, the executive director of the Hawaii Community Foundation.
“They may not know how to handle that,” Yee said.
“A lot of people that are homeless, they have been homeless for a very long time. So be359ba680
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