We have it in hand
When we are driving around during outreach and stop to check a spot or to get out and talk to someone we see near the road, one of the things we consider a “best practice” of sorts is to make sure we have something in our hands. Carrying our backpacks, thermoses, and other items helps us in a couple of ways as we conduct street outreach. First and most obvious, it means that we have the items someone might ask for with us and can quickly provide water, food, or other things that we carry. But there are more subtle reasons for carrying something with us when we are walking, even when the vehicle and supplies are nearby.
Aside from wearing reflective vests, people can see thermoses, bags, or bottles of water in our hands. This helps project the image that we are not a threat. Imagine that two people are approaching you on the street at 1:00 a.m. You would quickly want to try to figure out what their intentions are. Now imagine the difference between people approaching with their hands in their pockets versus people approaching carrying bags, thermoses, bottles of water, or other items. We believe a simple thing like having bottles of water or other outreach items in our hands helps make us appear more safe to people as we approach.
Once we do approach, we say hello and start to explain who we are and what we do. When we tell people we can offer them some coffee, water, or something to eat, they are immediately looking to see where these things are going to come from. We have found that saying, “Would you like some water?” while holding out a bottle of water has a much better response than asking “Would you like some water?” and not having any visible. That first transaction of sorts when we can provide some water or coffee often opens up discussion, but if we don’t have it in hand, people are more likely to decline the offer and we may have missed an opportunity to engage.
Aside from having coffee, water, or other items right with us when we offer them, they also help validate who we are. We start by telling people who we are, but people may be a little skeptical out on the streets at midnight. Having outreach items with us on hand helps “back up our story” and help people come to the conclusion that we really are who we say we are and that we are safe.
So that’s why we try to carry things with us. It is not something we read in a book. It’s one of the lessons learned in the field at night. Of course, the way we learn is from the times we meet something without anything in our hands and wish we had. We have been getting better at this over the years!
