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Goodwill Address

Address for the Homeless
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Not quite sure exactly how this one would work...something along the lines of Goodwill Shipping.

In the UK it is not possible to get a job, sign on the dole etc without a permanant address. This makes it nearly impossible for homeless people to alter their situation.

I suggest that companies, or organisations could provide a temporary mailing base - a "Goodwill Address" to those who need it. It could be for a limited time and under strict conditions. It would be great PR for the companies involved and a great help to those who need it.

joyja, Jul 15 2000

Community Voice Mail http://www.cvm.org
A clearinghouse for programs to provide phone numbers for the homeless. [Uncle Nutsy, Jul 15 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]


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Annotation:







       Do you have PO boxes there?   

       (Yeah, they do cost money...)
egnor, Jul 16 2000
  

       A good idea but merely undercooked, in America at least. In some large cities, there are governmental offices or charitable organizations that will provide this service. In fact, some will provide not just an official mailing address but also voice mail, and sometimes even fax and/or e-mail.   

       I can't think of any web pages for organizations devoted to providing snail-mail addresses, but www.cvm.org is worth a visit.
Uncle Nutsy, Jul 19 2000
  

       Most US post offices will accept mail addressed to an individual for "general delivery". But they require the person picking it up to produce identification, which many homeless people don't have.   

       I believe a homeless shelter can serve as a legal address for the purpose of applying for social services, at least in New York.
mab, Jul 19 2000
  

       Thank you for addressing[unintentional pun] this issue: The homeless are pretty much screwed when it comes to Government entities. I've spoken with many and collectively, they have to present a residential dwelling address and identification. Otherwise they don't qualify. Most are a better lot than folks who think they're a lot better, savvy?
thumbwax, Sep 22 2000
  

       Likewise, My Pop has anonymously taken a Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner along with presents to a very poor [not homeless] family every year for @ 15 years [I only found out when he asked me to do the delivery one Christmas-Pop had Medical Emergency]. Why are these folks so poor? The Government keeps them that way[disabled, etc. not enough from Gov. and if they do work the subtraction of funds makes the total income even less in their case]. When that is the case it is up to individuals such as ourselves to come to the fore and do the right thing, only do it as facelessly as the Government. Reason being, it helps the individual who is receiving good maintain the positive outlook with those they see at any given time as they might wonder who the 'benefactor' is. Keeps poor folk from becoming bitter.
thumbwax, Sep 23 2000
  

       This thread reminds me of something one of my best friends is always asking me:   

       "If I were homeless, would you still call me? No, I don't think so, 'cause I wouldn't have a phone."   

       He's thinking of taking it to a country music producer.
jester, Dec 01 2001
  

       We have local charities that provide free P.O. boxes for the homeless or those not wanting to reveal that the live at a shelter. The also accept phone calls almost like an answering service.
phoenix, Dec 01 2001
  

       I have been hunting for this address for ages.   

       I believe there was something like this for a park bench in London but cannot remember the details
po, Dec 01 2001
  

       Why would a park bench need a PO box?
StarChaser, Dec 01 2001
  

       When you put the letters thru the slots, they fall on the ground below.
pottedstu, Dec 01 2001
  

       Sounds like the suggestion box here, except it's over a trash can...
StarChaser, Dec 01 2001
  

       That's kind of a good idea. The homeless could simply use a trashcan in a public park as their own mailbox.

"Man, junk mail *again*!"
jester, Mar 07 2002
  

       Not that anyone reading this would necessarily know (or not know), but who do you think screws over the homeless more, the public sector or the private sector? Inquiring minds want to find out, the easy way if possible.
LoriZ, Mar 08 2002
  

       You might try asking the homeless.   

       YOU: "Excuse me, sir. Yes, you, with the Pampers Premium taped to your knees and the tinfoil hat. Which section of the population, in your opinion, screws over the homeless more, the public sector or the private sector?"   

       HE: "Actually, as far as per-capita expenditure related to homeless-relief campaigns go, contributions from private individuals ranked almost four times higher in terms of frequency than those of comparably-located local businesses. Of course, having little or no access to news sources beyond the newspapers which I normally use for shoes, I have small choice but to use my personal budgetary data for this analysis, necessarily limiting the scope of my study quite a bit." [pauses for a second] "You gotta quarter?"
jester, Apr 29 2002
  

       Most of the homeless are of sounder mind than that (pre-Alzheimer's) blooming idiot Ronald Reagan who put them there. I often wonder if - in his case, and his case only - Alzheimer's was custom made just for him as karma justice.
thumbwax, Apr 29 2002
  

       Here in the states, If you want to register to vote, and you dont have an address, they have you draw a map of where you generally live. I suppose to place you in a district. I always thought that was cool.
notme, Dec 28 2002
  

       Yep, the map thing is good [notme]. but what if you're a terrible artist? Maybe you should just stick a pin in a map...   

       But the idea above is excellent. Hot steaming, charitably-bought croissant!
bookends, Jun 05 2005
  


 

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