Informal Charity

Dayvan Cowboy

Hi H/A. I recently moved to London and I've been looking for things to do and ways to meet new people. One of the things I've been looking into is charity/volunteer work. I'm not really sure where to start, but I found this group on meetup. They describe themselves as:

A group of friends engaging with the homeless in London by cutting through the misconceptions, prejudice and fear that often accompany stereotypes of rough sleepers and other vulnerable groups in the city. We walk, sit and talk with them in a moment of mutual learning and trust, driven by the ethos of unconditional human contact and friendship.

And a simple pair of socks is all it takes to break the ice.

We meet usually once a week at a pre-arranged Central London location and follow a variety of routes for about an hour or so, bringing along any food, drinks and basic material goods we can to share with homeless people we meet. The main aim is to listen, talk and forge meaningful links with them in a completely non-judgemental and agenda-free way. The evening ends with a merry social and sharing of experiences.

We are not a charity, or formal group of any kind; simply friends with a desire to put humane principles into everyday, effective action. Anyone with an open mind and the willingness to be challenged and step out of their comfort zone can join The Sock Mob!

This sounds like something I could be in to, but I'm wondering whether I'd be better off going with an officially registered charity? Are there any drawbacks to this kind of 'guerilla charity' as opposed to something more organised? Any opinions are welcome, but especially from those with experience in this kind of thing.

Thanks!

Six

Just don't donate money to them and expect to be able to treat it as a charitable deduction. Otherwise, have fun, do good, and don't do anything illegal.

Edit: Missed a key "don't" in the sentence above.

RadicalTurnip

They're probably less inhibited by "the system". In my mind, that's a good thing, assuming you aren't planning to claim the charitable donation (I'm not sure how it works in Britain). If you claim it, though, and get audited, then it could be a bit more difficult (though possibly not impossible). I think it sounds great, go for it!

JebusUD

You could get shanked by a hobo. Although maybe that is one of the misconceptions. Guess you'll find out!

Basically I wouldn't expect this to actually change anything. Maybe you will have a nice conversation and that will be nice for you and your new residence challenged pal. But the way I understand it is that most homeless people that stay homeless have 1. A drug problem or 2. A mental illness. So a bit of chit chat isn't going to, say, get them off the street and onto clean living or whatever.

ceres

JebusUD wrote:

You could get shanked by a hobo. Although maybe that is one of the misconceptions. Guess you'll find out!

Basically I wouldn't expect this to actually change anything. Maybe you will have a nice conversation and that will be nice for you and your new residence challenged pal. But the way I understand it is that most homeless people that stay homeless have 1. A drug problem or 2. A mental illness. So a bit of chit chat isn't going to, say, get them off the street and onto clean living or whatever.

This is a very American attitude about homelessness, and it's a problem. Things are a bit different in the UK, or at least were when I lived there. OP, if this is how you think of homelessness then I recommend you go to one meeting, at least, just for your own sake. I don't know if it will help them much in the long run, but it will almost certainly help you.