Before you jump into helping the homeless, you have to examine why you want to help.
Do you want to give back to your community?
Do you have spare time or resources that will help others?
Some folks have a good heart, but they expect a specific reaction or specific behaviors out of the people they help, or they shove cameras in our faces. We are people too, and while most of us genuinely do appreciate any help that comes our way, going about helping in a way that makes people uncomfortable may alienate them further from resources.
Another consideration: how much energy do you have to spare? The people who help the most are good at taking care of themselves first, so they are not pouring from an empty cup. Everyone needs support sometimes, and if you put too much of yourself into helping others it can make you burn out fast.
So, if you have support for yourself, you have the right kind of motivation, and you have spare time, resources, or energy to use for bettering your community, let's get into how you can help!
There are many food banks and pantries around, but without a way to cook we are often limited in what we can eat outside of the service-schedule meals in various day programs. Help with food could be as simple as helping a homeless person make a grocery list or going with them to the store itself, or as complicated as organizing events such as Potluck in the Park where a team is cooking and distributing meals onsite. Larger efforts often require more permits or licensing or at least permission from the City, as they can be deemed "illegal" and organizers can be fined. However, making enough food for 15-20 people and driving to your nearest camp is never a bad idea. If you have unused food, there will always be more hungry people. If you make food, make sure you have options that are free of common (or uncommon) allergens if possible: wheat, milk/dairy, eggs, nuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. Keep track of ingredients used, and if you have the means to do so, include an option for vegan diets. It can be extremely difficult for people with dietary restrictions to find enough food.
Survival gear is critical for people who otherwise wouldn't have access. Camping gear like tents, tarps, and sleeping bags can mean all the difference between someone more vulnerable than you, living or dying. It offers a small amount of protection from the elements. Other than camping gear, many people struggle to maintain enough clothes to stay clean and dry due to theft, sweeps, etc, and other items like wagons can be essential to a homeless person's ability to move around freely and safely (especially for those of us who are too disabled to carry a pack for other gear.)
Being an emotional support for unhoused neighbors can look however you want it to. People often need support or someone to vent to when their lives are constantly being upheaved by a system designed to make us fail. Being a supportive listener when things get hard is a great way to build and foster healthier relationships in a support network.
When someone is being swept, there is rarely support while moving their belongings. People on the streets face higher levels of violence and are often dealing with theft and other losses, and security and privacy are nearly non-existent. Providing physical support might look like offering to help a camp pack up, helping people replace stolen belongings, offering to help wash and dry laundry or bedding, giving rides to appointments/interviews/etc, or it could look totally different. The best way to know is to ask what someone needs for themselves.
Between loss, the struggle to find or maintain work with the barriers unhoused people face, and more, a few dollars from people who can afford to miss their morning coffee can make a huge impact. Cash is hard to come by, and almost always has to go towards immediate needs. People often refuse to give cash to homeless people because they believe it will be used on drugs, but there's not a lot $5 or $10 will get you. People make the decisions that are best for them based on what they know, and it's not our place to judge those decisions. Other simple ways to support someone could look like helping cover a prepaid phone line or Wi-Fi hotspot, buying hot food (EBT does not allow hot food, and many places that serve meals do not cater to allergies or other dietary restrictions), or helping someone order important gear online if it isn't available in person. There are many ways to lend a proverbial financial hand to people who are in a less privileged place in life.
People become homeless for any number of reasons, but the vast majority of homeless youth are out here because our families refused to or couldn't take care of us. A staggering number are out on the streets or in unstable housing from domestic violence, some ending up chronically houseless as a result. The only true way to "end" homelessness, unsheltered or not, is to provide for people's basic needs. When housing is affordable, jobs are accessible, and people are connected to a community and resources, people can stop just surviving and start thriving instead.
In the absence of resources, sometimes your help can be the difference between someone having sleep for dinner, or being fed. Being able to stay dry, or having to spend the day in wet clothes. Even the smallest things can make someone's day a little less terrible, and it's a great place to start.