Help for Northampton's Unhoused Folks

Hi! I'm Holly, and I have lived in Northampton, Massachusetts for several years now. We have a lot of homeless in this city, in large part due to the astronomical cost of living here. A lot of homeless people actually avoid homeless shelters, and as such don't necessarily have access to free resources unless someone literally walks up and offers them. Massachusetts has a Section 8 voucher program but it is very slow-moving and many on the streets have been waiting for years. Add in the effects of mental illness, and for some there are very few resources functionally available to them.

There are a few excellent programs out here to help, but they can only do so much. In the past few years several people have died due to the cold out here. I would like to try to get as many sleeping bags and socks out to our homeless population as possible before the winter starts. I am only one person, however, and am very limited in what I can do alone.

I am hoping to raise some money to buy usable, cold weather sleeping bags for the homeless around Northampton. It will be enough to make the difference between life or death on a really cold night. The goal that I have set here will be enough for 46 Coleman 10 degree rated sleeping bags and 180 pairs of thermal socks. That will make a huge difference in keeping the homeless folks warm.