Giving Compass' Take:

• UK based nonprofit, Action Hunger, installed a vending machine that serves the homeless population in the city of Nottingham, offering free food, clothing, and hygiene products. 

• The vending machines were a response to the problem of homeless individuals needing more resources than shelters could offer. While the vending machines are a good first step, is there a more sustainable solution that shelters can be a part of to address lack of resources?

• Read about England's strategy to end homelessness by 2027. 

If you want to buy something from a new vending machine inside the entrance to a shopping center in the U.K. city of Nottingham, you can’t use cash. Everything inside is free–and only accessible to people who are homeless, who can use a key card to access fruit, sandwiches, energy bars, clean socks, toothbrushes, and other necessities.

“There is a critical need for access to food and clothing outside the capacity that shelters can offer,” Huzaifah Khaled, founder of Action Hunger, the nonprofit that installed the machine and is planning a series of others, writes in an email to Fast Company. In the U.K., as in many other countries, shelters often have very limited operating budgets and are only accessible for a small part of each day.

“It requires the homeless to schedule their days around visits to the shelter, making it hard to hold a stable job or see family regularly,” he says. “Our vending machines offer 24/7 access, so they can be used at a person’s convenience–and completely free of charge.”

Read the source article about vending machines for the homeless by Adele Peters at fastcompany.com