There are many simple ways to help the homeless situation in Champaign/Urbana. Perhaps the most obvious is through donations. Most shelters accept monetary or clothing donations and these can go a long way towards reducing the operational costs of the houses. There are also several programs that accept donations, more info on which can be found here.
Volunteering is also a good way to help. Most shelters are in need of more volunteers to help manage and distribute aid. All it takes is the courage to walk through the door and a few hours of your time.
Finally, it is important to express your desire to have these shelters up and running to the people in power. Funding is continually being cut to important programs such as these and without that money they cannot continue to operate. You can contact Governor Pat Quinn at this site. You can also contact our Senators, Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk, as well as our district representative Tim Johnson to push for better funding and reduced cuts.