Frequently Asked Questions About Homeless Gear:
Why Homeless Gear?
There is a gap in the products and services available to the homeless. We want to focus on their need for outdoor gear. While we want all the homeless to find permanent shelter from the elements we know that this is not always possible.
Does Homeles Gear just help adult homeless?
No. Did you know that the average age of a homeless person in Colorado is 9? 60% of our homeless are families. Homeless Gear is committed to serving the needs of all segments of our homeless community.
Where does the gear come from?
The hiking, backpacking, and camping community is very large. Every person who participates in one of these activities most likely has a basement, closet, or garage full of unwanted gear that for one reason or another has been “upgraded” over the years and left to collect dust. We are convinced that people would be more than happy to donate their unwanted gear to help the homeless. We also work with corporate partners who donate gear and we purchase some items (gloves, socks, etc) with cash donations that we receive.
How does Homeless Gear distribute the gear to the homeless?
We currently work with 25 homeless facilities or programs in throughout Colorado that help us to distribute the gear we collect to the homeless community. We also hold direct distributions at various locations each month and work with the homeless on a one on one basis (daily) to identify their needs and provide them with the appropriate gear to meet those needs.
What if I’m not close to a drop off location?
Tell us what gear you have and where you are located. We will find a match close to your location so that the homeless in your area can benefit from your donation.
Is this program somehow enabling the homeless?
If you mean enabling them to avoid frostbite or worse then yes. If you mean encouraging them to stay out on the streets then definitely no! We want everyone to find permanent shelter. Sometimes for a variety of reasons this can’t happen. We don’t want to turn our back on those that can’t gain entrance into a shelter or choose not to. Keep in mind we do not encourage anyone to camp in areas that are not legally permitted.
Does Homeless Gear accept money in addition to gear?
Yes. Money can always be used to purchase gear from garage sales or company closeouts and gives us the ability to “round out” the gear we have available for the homeless. We have previously used some of our cash funding to purchase items like winter gloves, day packs, tarps and socks. We always try to purchase at the highest level possible (manufacturing or wholesale) and negotiate the best possible price. We can also use cash donations to help us finance our two half time paid positions (the executive director is a full time non paid volunteer and all of our operating expenses are privately funded).
Are cash contributions or gear donations tax deductible?
Yes. Homeless Gear is a program of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado a non profit 501c3 organization.
What percentage of my contribution goes to help the homeless?
100%! We cover all of our operating costs ourselves so everything that is donated goes to the homeless. All cash donations are used to purchase gear which in turn is distributed to the homeless.
