Often Overlooked Donation Items Needed: African American Hair & Skin Care Products

The experience of homelessness is one of constant challenges. Individuals experiencing homelessness face daily obstacles when it comes to finding a safe place to sleep, eating nutritional food, taking care of children, maintaining healthy personal hygiene, and much more. JOIN tries to mitigate some of these very basic challenges by providing services at our day center like laundry vouchers, hygiene items, clothing, cold weather gear, and more. JOIN is fortunate to be able to provide most of these items as a result of the generosity of our community.

Some items, however, don’t get donated as frequently as others. Some of those items are personal hygiene and hair care products specifically for African Americans. Not all hair and skin care products meet the unique needs of the African American community, and many homeless service providers have difficulty providing these necessary items. This is primarily due to the huge void in donations of hair and skin care products specifically made for African Americans. According to recent data from Oregon Housing and Community Services, 14% of all individuals in Multnomah county experiencing homelessness are African American, but an even smaller portion of hair-care and personal hygiene donations are made for this demographic.

At JOIN, we are committed to supporting the efforts of homeless individuals and families to transition out of homelessness and into permanent housing. Personal hygiene items, such as skin and hair care, play a major role in the maintenance of health, well-being and dignity. If you’re interested in donating African American hair or skin care products, visit our list of needs and donate today!