I am working with a mutual aid org which has some resources at its disposal (money & labor) to help the folks who live there.
Of course, the people living there know best what they need, and with their current setups they mostly need wood for their stoves, or fuel for their generators, which are running electric heaters. But not all of them have stoves or generators.
I think the next most obvious option is warm clothing and blankets, which it seems like they have in good supply thankfully.
My org has done some building projects in the past and is considering doing more, possibly with a rocket stove type design, though I’m wondering if that’s worth the effort, and our money/time would be better spent providing the residents with more food/clothing/fuel.
Yo yo yo I am homeless so I am probably the best person to ask.
First and foremost, the things they’re saying they need are the things you wanna go with. You can also get these little camping stoves on Amazon for about $5.
Cash is really useful because many of us need to buy certain things every day in order to stay well, and it’s nice to have a break from having to hustle and break our backs every day.
But also, cash gives each of us the independence to buy what we feel best suits our needs. Idk if that’s scalable of not/feasible for your group.