Giving Compass' Take:

• Global Citizen discusses a few ways for individuals to give immediate help to the homeless, especially if they see someone sleeping outside in the cold this winter.

• While many of these tips are useful, we should also be thinking about the root causes of homelessness and how funders can address them.

• Here's a guide to get you started in making an impact on homelessness. 

Homelessness is a desperate situation, regardless of what time of year it is. But as we huddle against the cold in our scarves, jackets, woolly hats, woolly socks, woolly tights, our entire woolly wardrobe … it hits home that people are actually out sleeping on the streets in this weather.

More than 320,000 people in Britain are homeless in Britain, according to research released this week by the housing charity Shelter.

That figure amounts to a year-on-year increase of 13,000 — a 4% rise, despite efforts to tackle the issue. It’s a serious problem and lives are being lost.

Rough sleeping means people are more likely to die young — with an average age of death for men at 47, and for women at 43, compared to the average national age of 77. Between 16 and 24, homeless people are at least twice as likely to die as those living in houses; for 25-34, the ratio increases to four or five times; and at 35-44, to five to six times.

These are shocking statistics. And most of us want to help.

But there’s a lot of mixed messaging out there — “why you should always give money directly to individuals”; “why you should never give money directly to individuals” — and, regardless of how good your intentions are, you can end up being so confused that you give up trying to help.

Read the full article about helping the homeless by Imogen Calderwood at Global Citizen.