How We Help The Homeless

Backpacks For The Street is a boots-on-the-ground organization providing direct assistance with food, essentials, employment, health care, and housing to people experiencing homelessness — in addition to our life-saving backpacks program that runs 365 days a year.

While many know us for our signature backpacks, our mission extends far beyond that. We’re about creating real, lasting solutions, which is the primary focus of our work.

Our team goes out into the community and works one-on-one with individuals where they are — on the streets, in shelters, and in transitional spaces — to help them find long-term, viable paths forward that address their specific situations.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to ending homelessness.

Every person’s story is different, and so are their needs.

That’s why we focus on building personalized solutions that help people take the next step on their journey away from homelessness, rather than offering a limited set of options that may not fit their lives.

Meeting people on their turf — where they’re trying to survive and exist — is the only way to truly understand what’s needed and begin to make change.

Our work also includes supporting immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, alongside our continued commitment to the BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and HIV communities.

We believe that compassion and respect are the foundation for change. Having someone look you in the eyes and say, “Hi, I’m here to help. Let’s work together,” instead of being a faceless name in a computer, can be life-changing.

Because at the heart of it all, homelessness is a human issue — and so is the solution.