The Nov/Dec 2010 issue of LawNow magazine, from LawNow.org.
Source: Access to Justice? The View from the Street
Mary Stratton, Research Director of the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, Edmonton, Alberta.
LawNow Nov/Dec 2010;35(2):6-10. Presented with permission from LawNow.
Canada has no official definition of homelessness and no consistent approach to the task of enumeration.
This lack of reliable data impedes the ability to effectively understand and constructively attend
to homelessness. Municipal counts across Canada report a steady, decade-long increase in observable
homelessness; Calgary Police Services recently estimated that 10,000 city residents are chronically
homeless. The City of Edmonton identifies a housing gap of approxi- mately 20,000 emergency,
transitional, and long-term housing units. It also needs 20,000 more affordable housing units with an
estimated increase of 700 more per year for at least five years.
For most of us, our immediate concept of homelessness conjures an image of an obviously down-and-out
panhandler. In fact, 'street people,' who at best only find an emergency shelter bed, are the visible minority
of Canadian homeless. Homelessness is widespread and the majority of people without a place of their
own are concealed from the public gaze. Many 'couch surf' at the homes of family and friends, stay temporarily
in cheap motels or rooming houses, or live in their cars. Most work or actively seek work, and accommodation
may be attached to employment. Some are children. All are one step away from street homelessness. [...]
A typical clustering of problems reported by homeless or precariously housed participants involves interaction between criminal, civil, and administrative
areas of law that are coupled with health and economic issues [...]
Unfortunately, our laws and legal systems do little to prevent or reduce homelessness but often have a role in precipitating or deepening it. Even
highly educated and securely housed Canadians find our legal process complex and challenging to navigate; the barriers can be insurmountable for
the homeless unless advocacy is provided. [...] → Read more
Publications and Reports
The electronic editions of CMHC's standardized national suite of publications are now free. You can view, print, download or subscribe to future editions of CMHC's popular
Housing Market Outlook, Housing Now, and Rental Market series of reports, as well as a number of other statistical reports and tables. Many of the available categories are shown below.
Co-authors Neil Boyd (SFU professor and associate director of the School of Criminology), Lori Culbert
(investigative journalist), and Larry Campbell (Vancouver's former mayor and chief coroner) offer a portrait of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and advocate far-reaching changes to address homelessness and drug addiction in Canada's poorest area code.
These challenges confront not only Vancouver's Downtown Eastside but all major cities in North America. The authors present provocative solutions, including the decriminalization of prostitution,
treating illegal drug use as a public-health problem, and the adoption of a national housing strategy for the mentally ill and addicted.
[...] In 2007 approximately 3.6 million people were homeless at some time in North
America, according to a number of non-profit organizations. "Homeless" is
defined in a variety of ways, so it is impossible to paint a uniform picture of
what this reality looks like. But the numbers show that homelessness has reached
epidemic proportions. The popular response is punishment.
"It's illegal to be homeless in this country. We have a form of economic
profiling similar to racial profiling," says Michael Stoops, director of
community organizing for the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington,
D.C. "It's a major problem, and it's not going to go away unless citizens demand
that their cities do something about it in a positive manner."
This is true across all of North America.
"During the past 10 years the number of tickets given to the homeless by the
police has quadrupled," says Serge Lareault, publisher of the Canadian street
paper L'Itinéraire. "Considered an 'open city,' many homeless have
moved to Montréal, especially after the situation in Toronto, where the police
decided to 'clean' the downtown of the homeless through ticketing and
harassment.
"From 1994 to 2007 the population of homeless in Montréal has passed from
15,000 to 30,000. The tickets given to the homeless between 2003-05 total $3.3
million, and they will never pay it, because they have no money. The majority of
them say it's a big reason why they will not be able to reintegrate the society,
because they have too much to pay."
People who live on the street or rely on shelters for temporary housing are
on the outside of society because they appear to do things that are
inappropriate. The law treats certain necessary behaviors as "anti-social" when
they are performed in public. Criminal citations are often issued to homeless
people for activities that everyone else does indoors or on private property:
earning income, sleeping, eating, going to the bathroom or sitting down to
rest.
Stoops calls these "quality of life" behaviors. Some of the laws barring them
are cited in the Homes Not Handcuffs: The Criminalization of
Homelessness in U.S. Cities, a 2009 report by the National Coalition for
the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. They
include:
Bathing in public waters
Urination/defecation in public
Begging/panhandling
Camping in public places
Sitting or lying in public places
Spitting
Failure to disperse from public places
Washing cars or windshields
Being without a shirt
[...] Both Canada and the United States have signed and ratified and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but both have failed to universally incorporate its principles
into their laws. The non-binding United Nations (U.N.) declaration opens with a preamble recognizing "the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of
all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world." In 1948 the U.N. General Assembly adopted this declaration as a "common
standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations."
The recognition that everyone – regardless of any distinction including an "other status," such as homelessness – is "born free and equal in dignity and rights" of life,
liberty and security of person, is detailed in admonitions to prohibit slavery, torture, arbitrary arrest and a host of other behaviors that the United States and Canada
routinely condemn as deplorable in other countries. The problem is that we refuse to do as we say. [...] [Read More]
CALGARY...
Western Canada's big six - Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg - are facing increasing
pressures from street level social problems, according to a new report from the Canada West Foundation...
Hard Times: A Portrait of Street Level Social Problems in Western Canada is based on feedback from 311
frontline workers and others involved in addressing street level social problems in western Canada...
...The form and scope of homelessness varies between cities. Absolute homelessness was identified as the greatest
challenge in Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. Absolute homelessness was seen to be a relatively smaller issue in
Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg. However, the hidden homeless and the at risk of being homeless (including those
living in inadequate or poor quality housing) were identified as large issues in Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg...
[Read more]
Though they account for only a small portion of the formal homeless statistics, there are many more women living on
insufficient funds, with violent partners, in unacceptable dwellings, or in other fragile circumstances that are too
often overlooked. They are our mothers, our daughters, our aunts, our nieces, our wives—they are all our sisters—and
they remain largely invisible compared to homeless men.
Susan Scott interviewed more than 60 women facing homelessness across Canada. Part of her agreement with these women
was to tell their stories in the way they would want to have them told. With uncompromising honesty and a deep sense
of empathy, Scott recounts their stories while highlighting the many underlying problems they face. These include
personal histories of abuse, addiction, and violence, as well as systemic conditions of gentrification, a paucity of
affordable housing, and a lack of social services sensitive to women's needs.
All Our Sisters is essential reading for anyone who wants to know more about the conditions facing homeless women in Canada. [..] [Read more]
In their compelling examination of what it means to be truly at home on the street, Jason Wasserman and Jeffrey Clair argue that programs and policies
addressing homeless people too often serve only to alienate them. Wasserman and Clair delve into the complex realities of homelessness to paint a gripping
picture of individuals - not cases or pathologies - living on the street and of their strategies for daily survival. By exploring the private spaces that
those who are homeless create for themselves, as well as their prevailing social mores, the authors explain how well-intentioned policies and programs
often only widen the gap between the indigent and mainstream society. The result is an unvarnished look at the culture of long-term homelessness and a
fresh approach to reaching this resurgent population. In their compelling examination of what it means to be truly at home on the street, the authors
argue that programs and policies designed to assist homeless people too often serve only to alienate them. Website
American Refugees
A film by the authors...
[...] Wasserman and Clair
offer a film that is equally academic and artistic. Shot during their four year ethnographic study, the filmmakers cover life on the
streets from political conflict to service programs to social justice. Together with their book At Home on the Street,
Wasserman and Clair
offer new insights into society's broken relationship with those who are homeless, illustrating that even where social programs are designed to
help, they often serve only to replicate the oppression at the heart of homelessness in the first place. [...] Website
This second section of our pages on Homelessness and Poverty in Canada presents selected media releases and special reports regarding housing and homelessness, human rights and legislation,
call for action, plans and strategies; welfare issues, average rents, cost of living and related issues may be included, but are presented chiefly in the Poverty sections. Homeless counts,
statistics, local initiatives and community services are presented at Homeless in Canada: Resources. For selected coverage prior to 2006, click here.
The frequent updates and burgeoning number of items on this page
make difficult the full indexing of content. The news and reports below
are roughly organized by date, most recent first. Click the above link
for a drop-down menu overview.
Housing Crisis: Something's gotta give... Canada's Housing Crisis Goes Beyond Attawapiskat, Megan Yarema and Rob Rainer, Canada Without Poverty, Huffington Post Canada (3 January 2012)
AtHome / ChezSoi Project of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, on the Vancouver project. (14 November 2011)
Red Tent Campaign Pivot Legal Society, the Citywide Housing Coalition and other partners launch their Olympic campaign to attract international attention to the problem of homelessness. Vancouver.
CALGARY, ALBERTA - The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) today released "A Plan, Not a Dream: How to End Homelessness in 10 Years," aiming to start a national movement to end homelessness
in Canada. The CAEH will champion an end to homelessness in Canada by mobilizing communities and governments across the country to develop and implement their own 10 Year Plans to End Homelessness (10 Year Plans).
Source:A Plan, Not a Dream
Canadian Alliance To End Homelessness. Accessed 8 April 2012.
The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness has been formed to build a national movement to end homelessness from the community up.
We believe we can end homelessness in Canada. We believe we can do it one person, village, town, city and province at a time. What’s needed is a Plan.
There are plenty of people at the local level across Canada who have the knowledge and the expertise to get the job done. Everything you need to know to end homelessness is known in your
communities or is available from others. There are many effective partnerships at the community level that engage government, non-profit agencies and private sector groups in innovative
initiatives. And the financial resources exist.
What’s missing is a practical, community-based approach that shifts the focus from managing homelessness to a system focused on ending it. We need to move from crisis responses (like shelters
and soup kitchens) to solutions – permanent, appropriate, safe and affordable housing with the support necessary to sustain it.
A Plan, Not a Dream: How to End Homelessness in 10 Years spells out how Canadian communities can end homelessness in 10 years or less by outlining the critical
ingredients of a community-based 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness.
"It's estimated that as many as 300,000 Canadians make their homes in emergency shelters or on the streets," said Alex Himelfarb, Chair of the CAEH Board of Directors. "The challenge may seem daunting but
we have seen progress wherever there has been the political will and community engagement. A national solution requires leadership from the federal and provincial governments and grassroots participation.
"We will seek to make progress one community at a time, building on the proven success of communities like Calgary."
Currently, the response to homelessness in most communities focuses on crisis responses like emergency shelters. The 10 Year Plan is a community plan that shifts focus to permanent solutions, specifically
housing and support services, and creates a comprehensive system of care that prevents and ends homelessness.
The CAEH will work with communities and engage governments to mobilize resources and make needed policy changes to implement 10 Year Plans in our cities, provinces and territories. The model originated in the
US and has been successful in cities across Canada.
"'A Plan, Not a Dream' is a declaration that we, as Canadians, are no longer willing to accept as inevitable the homelessness of any of our neighbours," said Tim Richter, incoming President and Chief
Executive Officer of the CAEH. "The 10 Year Plan model has proven successful in reducing homelessness in Canada, and now we are challenging our fellow citizens, communities and all levels of government to take
the initiative to end the unnatural disaster of homelessness in Canada, once and for all."
Canadian cities with plans to end homelessness have already seen marked progress. Edmonton has seen a 21 per cent decrease in homelessness from 2008 to 2010 and in Lethbridge, street homelessness has
decreased by 53 per cent in the same period. Calgary has gone from having the fastest growing rate of homelessness in Canada to an 11.4 per cent reduction in four years. The Province of Alberta has Canada's
first and only provincial commitment and plan to end homelessness.
The CAEH's mandate includes raising awareness about homelessness amongst Canadians, offering tools, knowledge and coaching to communities developing 10 Year Plan, and proactively seeking provincial and
federal policy change to support ending homelessness. Please visit www.caeh.ca or join the conversation at
www.facebook.com/endinghomelessness. [...] [Read More → Backgrounder]
Precarious housing and hidden homelessness among new immigrants...
[... A] new study on immigrant housing warns that thousands of newcomers
continue to live in "hidden homelessness" — in shared, overcrowded housing — an issue that has grown more acute, especially in Toronto, where affordable rental units are in short supply.
The national study by Metropolis, an international network of researchers in immigration policy, found most newcomers
reported spending more than 50 per cent of income on housing, with 15 per cent spending 75 per cent or more.
"Financial difficulties force many newcomers to share accommodations that are often poor quality, overcrowded and unsafe," says the report.
Preston V, Murdie R, D’Addario S, Sibanda P, Murnaghan AM, with Logan J and Ahn MH. CERIS Working Paper No. 87 (December 2011)
The report is based on national housing data and surveys of 600 migrants in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. In Toronto, where the average wage is $69,000, most newcomers surveyed had incomes under $20,000.
"New rooming houses are being created in the suburbs, in locations without rooming house regulations. Often illegal, suburban rooming houses can offer deplorable housing," the report continued.
Newcomers also face discrimination in the housing market, with refugees, temporary residents, single parents, large families and people who do not speak English or French facing the greatest challenge, said
University of British Columbia professor Daniel Hiebert [...] "The housing situation generally improves over time for most
immigrants but there’s a fraction of the immigrant population where the challenges remain and persist for a long time," he said.
In Toronto, the vacancy rate for rental accommodation fell to 2.1 per cent in 2010, well below the 3 to 4 per cent threshold, a decline more "sustained and dramatic" compared with other immigrant
gateway cities, the report states. (The city’s vacancy rate in 2011 fell again to 1.4 per cent.)
Since the 2008 global financial meltdown, the report says, construction projects were cancelled and the number of apartment starts fell by almost 50 per cent in the city.
The recent supply of apartments is mostly intended for the condominium market, which has increased from 22.1 per cent of all starts in 1996 to 44.6 per cent in 2010.
Toronto Regional Housing Data Bank marks a significant advance in our understanding of social
and economic conditions related to housing in Halton, Durham, Peel, and York regions and the City
of Toronto. For the first time, regional statistics and trends concerning housing, poverty and other
indicators have been brought together for the use of governments, the private sector, non-profit
organizations, academics and community agencies.
Since 2000, the Toronto Housing Databank found that units with rents between $600 and $900 have decreased by 66,069,
while those with rents between $901 and $1,500 and over have increased by 48,760.
"With rising rents, the loss of inexpensive rental units, and disproportionate growth in condominiums, the supply of affordable accommodation for newcomers, particularly those with children
is limited," said the study, whose Toronto section was led by York University professor Valerie Preston.
Toronto is home to the largest stock of social housing in Canada, with 127,545 units of rent-geared-to-income housing in which residents pay no more than 30 per cent of total income before
taxes on housing. However, almost 90,000 households are on the waiting list, meaning wait times of four to 21 years.
The study calls for a national housing strategy by all levels of government and the redesigning of housing services for newcomers. [...]
International Women's Day Bulletin documents women's homelessness in Canada: YWCA Canada
Warning that women and girls will face increased risk of homelessness if governments cut services and spending, today YWCA Canada, the country's single largest provider of shelter for women, launches When There's No Place Like Home: A Snapshot of Women's Homelessness in Canada. The International Women's Day Bulletin paints a devastating portrait of the rise of women's homelessness in Canada and the reasons why women and girls find themselves without a safe place to live.
"More than a century after the first International Women's Day we are shocked to report that homelessness is undeniably a women's issue," says YWCA Canada CEO Paulette Senior. "It's an issue for single women, for teenage girls, for women with children, for First Nation women. In large Canadian cities, 25 to 30% of people living on the streets and in shelters are women. It's time to sound the alarm. When women and girls are homeless, they are not safe."
Teenage girls make up one-third to half of homeless youth in urban centres. "As many as 60% of homeless girls have been sexually abused," says Ann Decter, Director of Advocacy at YWCA Canada. "Young women leave home to escape abuse, only to find it waiting in the street, where predatory older men expose them to addiction and the sex industry in exchange for a place to sleep. Low social assistance rates and lack of access to housing can push girls into a long, harsh cycle of homelessness."
"First Nation, Métis and Inuit women are homeless in alarming rates, especially women with a history of trauma and abuse and resulting mental health and addiction issues," says Marlene Gorman, Executive Director of YWCA Sudbury. "Sudbury agencies are working together to reduce and reverse the impacts of long-term homelessness. Budget and service cuts would be a big step in the wrong direction."
"Prisons are not an appropriate response to women's homelessness," says Kim Pate, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, "yet criminal justice and correctional systems are increasingly the only response to women, as depleted social service and health systems no longer provide adequate accommodation."
YWCA Canada and the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies continue to focus on women's homelessness today, co-hosting Expanding the Space, a Parliament Hill forum to discuss opportunities for change in the current climate.
Cordova Residence/Cordova Rooms, 56 Cordova Street East
Dominion Hotel, 210 Abbott Street
Gastown Hotel, 110 Water Street
Hazelwood Hotel, 344 East Hastings Street
Marble Arch Hotel, 518 Richards Street
Marr Hotel, 401 Powell Street
Orange Hall, 329-341 Gore Avenue
Roosevelt/Molson’s Bank Building, 166 East HastingsStreet
Sunrise Hotel, 101 East Hastings Street
Tamura House, 398 Powell Street
The Rice Block, 404 Hawks Street
Washington Hotel, 177-179 East Hastings Street
Scope & Maintenance:
Many of the 13 historic structures targeted in this project are over 100 years old with structural, plumbing and electrical
infrastructure that require renewal. In addition to the upgrades, the 13 aging hotels will be restored, preserving their heritage
features and the historic character of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
The Project will deliver:
Long-term, supportive housing and an improved quality of life for tenants.
Updated amenities, such as dependable heat and hot water availability.
Restore the heritage value and appearance of these century old buildings.
These buildings have an important role in our efforts to help those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness find stability
and a safe, clean, affordable home. Restoring these buildings will make sure these properties will continue to fulfill that need. [...]
VANCOUVER — The federal and British Columbia governments have announced a partnership that will see 13 single-room occupancy hotels in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside renovated and restored.
The government of Canada will contribute $29.1 million through the P3 Canada Fund and the province will contribute $87.3 million toward the project.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said cleaning up some of the rundown units will help in fighting the homeless problem facing the city.
"The challenge of tackling homelessness continues to be a top priority for Vancouver, and we are pleased to have the province of B.C. and the government of Canada coming together to improve
living conditions for many of our most marginalized and vulnerable citizens," Robertson said in a release issued Friday.
"The renewal and renovation of these 13 (buildings) is another important step toward our goal of ending street homelessness by 2015."
Rich Coleman, B.C.’s minister responsible for housing, said he expects the major renovation to be complete in about three-years time. He also said the buildings will play an important role in
finding safe and clean housing for those who are homeless or at risk.
This is the first phase, he said. "We bought 24 buildings in Vancouver and this is work on 13 of those 24," he said.
There are about 900 units in the project. Coleman noted that some of the buildings purchased were in rough shape. "They were not all terrific buildings when we bought them," he said.
Many of the buildings are 100 years old and Coleman said they plan on restoring the buildings and keeping heritage features intact.
Criminalising the Homeless: Ticketing continues in Montreal
MONTREAL - One homeless man has been ticketed 132 times for sleeping or lying on the bench, seats and floor of the métro, and 110 times for smoking a lit cigarette in a station.
Twenty-four tickets have been issued to this same man for drinking alcohol in a station or métro car, 20 tickets for failing to pay for a transit ticket and 15 tickets for being in a subway station after it closed.
In all, this 51-year-old homeless man has been fined $88,0742.19 for 374 infractions and all the attendant costs from 2006 to 2010
The chances of him paying these fines? Nil.
In a study made public Wednesday, statistical analyses showed that between Jan. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2010, 30,551 tickets were handed out to the homeless for municipal bylaw and Société de transport de Montréal violations.
The main bylaw offences: public drunkenness or intoxication; drinking in public or in a park; loitering or obstructing traffic; and being in a park after hours.
The main STM infractions: not paying a fare; sleeping or lying in the subway or on the platform; smoking or drinking; and blocking traffic.
The tickets were handed out to 4,370 people – 3,852 men and 518 women.
The study identified the homeless – an estimated 30,000 in the greater Montreal area – by shelters that had been given as home addresses.
Handing out tickets for bylaw and transit infractions to people without jobs or homes is a waste of time and money, said Marie-Eve Sylvestre, co-author with Céline Bellot of three studies on the
proliferation and frequency of fining the homeless.
"Issuing one ticket after another and spending the time and energy and resources to deal with these unpaid tickets is no good," Sylvestre said.
"The situation of the homeless is just worsening and they keep increasing the number of tickets year after year."
The money spent on this pointless venture would be better spent on social programs to solve the problems that cause the infractions in the first place, said a representative of the homeless. [...]
[Read More]
[...]
The Bellot-Sylvestre study suggests another idea: Social workers could accompany police and try gentle persuasion on those causing problems.
But what about those who, despite such improvements, might still get tickets? Could authorities adapt the justice system to deal with them more constructively?
The problem is continent-wide, and many jurisdictions' court systems have departed from the old model - still à la mode in Quebec - of treating all defendants in the same venue, whether they're mentally healthy or not.
Ontario and several other provinces have opened mental-health courts to afflicted people in the general population (not just the homeless) who are charged with crimes (not just misdemeanours).
But the U.S. is targeting the destitute in particular. San Diego opened North America's first Homeless Court, as it's called, in 1989. The judge holds court in the shelter, reducing the defendants' stress level and making
it easy for the judge to hear from shelter staff about the offenders' commitment to change - a precondition for having one's case heard. The court offers plea bargaining and alternate sentencing.
Cities elsewhere in California and seven other states have picked up the concept.
Mayor Tremblay does not want two standards of justice, and he's right so far as the issuance of tickets goes. But, as these other jurisdictions show, there can be room for, uh, reasonable accommodation in the
next stage - that is, in how the court deals with people once they get tickets. As Pearce puts it, "If you can't pay in cash, you can pay by providing evidence that you're dealing with the behaviour that caused
the nuisance in the first place." [...] [Read More]
Une nouvelle étude recensant des contraventions émises à des sans-abri entre 2006 et 2010 vient révéler que le problème est loin d’être réglé à Montréal, un constat qui apparaît assez surprenant dans la mesure où la
Ville de Montréal et son Service de Police (SPVM) affirment avoir changé leurs pratiques.
La nouvelle banque de données totalise 30 551 nouvelles contraventions émises entre 2006 et 2010, pour une moyenne de 6000 annuellement. Pour la seule année 2010, c’est 6562 constats d’infraction qui ont été émis,
dont 37,2% dans l’espace public et 61,8% dans le métro. L’âge moyen des personnes a aussi augmenté, passant de 32,4 ans en 2003 à 39,3 ans en 2010, tout comme la proportion de femmes concernées, qui représente 12%
pour la période 2006-2010 alors qu’elles n’étaient que de 7,5% pour la période 1994-2004.
« Dans notre première étude, basée sur les chiffres de 1994 à 2004, on déplorait une multiplication par quatre du nombre de contraventions émises en dix ans, précise
Céline Bellot, professeure à l’École de
Service social de l’Université de Montréal. Si on compare le 3949 de 2003 avec les 6562 contraventions de 2010, on se rend compte que cette pratique de répression est encore plus courante aujourd’hui. »
Les principales infractions reprochées n’ont guère changé entre les périodes étudiées. Concernant les règlements municipaux, il est surtout question de consommation sur la voie publique, de flânage et de
présence dans les parcs en dehors des heures d’ouverture. Dans le métro, c’est plus de 70% des infractions qui concernent la tentative d’obtenir un voyage sans payer, le fait de fumer ou d’être couché/étendu.
La situation dans le métro
L’étude rend compte des impacts de l’arrivée d’un plus grand nombre de policiers dans le métro en 2007, alors qu’on a remis autant de contraventions de 2006 à 2010 (5 ans) que pour la période de 1994 à 2005 (12 ans).
On a émis plus du double (6661) de contraventions pour non-paiement du titre de transport que pour toute la période 1994-2005 (3132). Force est de constater que l’utilisation de plus en plus courante de ce règlement
contribue de manière grandissante à la judiciarisation des personnes itinérantes. Par contre, il serait faux de croire que l’augmentation des constats s’explique seulement par le défaut de payer le titre de
transport « Même si les 2500 contraventions remises en vertu de ce règlement étaient retirées de la banque totale de 2010, on se retrouverait encore au niveau de l’année 2003, avec plus de 4000 contraventions,
indique Céline Bellot. En d’autres mots et alors que rien ne le justifie, en enlevant toutes les contraventions émises pour passage sans payer, on se retrouverait à donner encore 4 fois plus de constats d’infraction
qu’en 1994. »
Réponses aux allégations de profilage social ?
En novembre 2009, la Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse en arrivait à la conclusion que la Ville de Montréal et le SPVM s’adonnaient à des pratiques de profilage social à l’endroit
des personnes en situation d’itinérance. Afin d’évaluer ce potentiel de discrimination, il faut observer la représentation des personnes itinérantes dans l’ensemble des contraventions émises sur le territoire
montréalais tout au long de l’étude pour constater un réel déséquilibre. Si en 2006, les contraventions émises aux personnes itinérantes représentaient 17,1% de l’ensemble, ce pourcentage s’établit à près de 25%
de l’ensemble des 17 861 contraventions émises à Montréal en 2010.
Les personnes itinérantes sont surreprésentées dans le système judiciaire et ce, en dépit de l’utilisation de mesures de rechange à la judiciarisation à la Cour municipale ces dernières années, allègue Marie-Ève
Sylvestre, professeure à la faculté de droit civil de l’Université d’Ottawa. Le problème se situe en amont car elles continuent de recevoir des constats d’infraction de façon disproportionnée. Elles ont reçu en
moyenne près de 25% des contraventions alors qu’elles sont loin de représenter le quart de la population montréalaise, un constat qui en dit long sur le potentiel de profilage social exercé à leur endroit. »
Au Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM), on considère que les bons discours et les appels aux changements à la Ville de Montréal comme au SPVM n’ont pas encore rapporté beaucoup
de fruits sur le terrain. « Il ne suffit pas de dire qu’on s’oppose au profilage, de créer des projets d’interventions de proximité ou de gérer la judiciarisation des personnes une fois qu’elles sont tombées
dedans, rappelle Pierre Gaudreau, coordonnateur du RAPSIM. On nous a présenté récemment un Plan stratégique concernant le profilage. Ces nouveaux chiffres sur les contraventions nous montrent très clairement
que presque tout reste à faire ».
Sources :
Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM)
Bernard St-Jacques (514) 879-1949
Pierre Gaudreau cell : (514) 603-1949
La 1ère recherche chiffrée sur la judiciarisation de 2005 *
La première étude du genre avait porté sur 22 685 constats d’infraction émis entre 1994 et 2004 recensés dans les banques de données de la cour municipale de Montréal. Parmi les principaux résultats, on constatait:
Que le nombre de contraventions étaient quatre fois plus élevé en 2003 que dix ans plus tôt ;
Que dans près des trois quart des cas (72,3%), les contraventions sont payées par l’emprisonnement alors dans seulement 14,9% des cas, ils le sont par la prise d’une entente de travaux compensatoires ;
Plusieurs cas de surjudiciarisation ;
Une explosion des coûts sociaux et financiers pour le système pénal.
C’est en 2004 qu’a été atteint le sommet, avec 7136 contraventions émises, soit 7 fois plus qu’en 1994. Une deuxième étude sur les chiffres de 2004 à 2006 concluait à une diminution globale de 11,3%, avec une baisse de 25,2% dans l’espace public, mais une hausse importante dans le métro.
The Judiciarization of the Homeless in Montréal: A Case of Social Profiling
[...] Providing examples and statistics, the Commission's opinion concludes that the social profiling of Montréal's homeless is discriminatory and contravenes the Quebec Charter of Human
Rights and Freedoms. Moreover, in the view of the Commission, the excessive use of the courts to deal with the homeless is the result of targeted police practices aimed at removing
them from the public space, rather than a neutral and impartial enforcement of the law. [...] [see below]
Itinérance: agissons ensemble
Rapport de la Commission de la santé et des services sociaux sur l'itinérance au Québec, Assemblée nationale du Québec, Parliamentary Proceedings (November 2009)
Wellesley Institute: Precarious Housing in Canada (2010)
Reducing Health Disparities – Roles of the Health Sector: Recommended Policy Directions and Activities. Health Disparities Task Group (Dec 2004)
The state of the nation’s housing: Federal election 2008. Michael Shapcott, Wellesley Institute (Oct 2008)
Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts. Juha Mikkonen and Dennis Raphael (2011) Visit the website.
Source:Canada's Housing Crisis Goes Beyond Attawapiskat
Megan Yarema and Rob Rainer, Huffington Post Canada (3 January 2012)
Rob Rainer is Executive Director and Megan Yarema is Director, Education and Outreach, of Canada Without Poverty, a national charity.
Links updated and added; PDFs added; emphasis added.
Recent images of the northern Ontario First Nation community in Attawapiskat illustrated the shocking reality that there are Canadians living in decrepit housing. However, while ramshackle housing is
common in many Aboriginal communities, the crisis embodied by Attawapiskat is not isolated to the Aboriginal demographic, nor to remote communities.
From coast to coast to coast, from our biggest cities to the smallest hamlets, millions of Canadians struggle with inadequate and unaffordable housing. While hundreds of thousands more are homeless twin
crises that warrant much greater attention from the federal government beyond an emergency response such as that being given to Attawapiskat.
In the early 1990s, the federal government abandoned a national approach to housing, replacing it with various housing agreements and programs subject to periodic renewal. In the absence of a national
approach and a concrete, multi-stakeholder strategy founded around the human right to housing (per
Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) it is timely to ask whether the current system is working.
The Wellesley Institute reported in 2010
that federal funding for housing declined since 1989 to sink below $2 billion. Meanwhile, over 1.5 million households
(20 per cent of which are Aboriginal) experience housing insecurity, meaning more than 30 per cent of household income is devoted to shelter costs. An estimated that up to 300,000 people are absolutely
homeless (i.e., sleeping on streets, in city parks etc.) while a further 450,000 to 900,000 people couch surf, use shelters, or live in overcrowded conditions.
On December 13, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) produced its biannual rental vacancy report indicating
that vacancy rates have dropped on average across the country. Currently the national vacancy rate is 2.2 per cent, down from 2.6 per cent in
October 2010, which has been noted by housing experts as "the danger zone" as it is less than three per cent.
Fewer available spaces means higher demand, which can drive up rental costs and put low-income individuals and families in an even more difficult situation.
Making matters worse is the issue of affordability: Many major centres continue to see costs increase while average incomes remain stagnant. British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario the three provinces
identified as the hardest hit by the 2008-2009 recession have the highest average
rental costs.
Based on the metric of Statistics Canada's Low Income Cut-Offs After-Tax, B.C. also held the 2009
provincial title for the worst poverty rate 12 per cent (the national average is 9.6 per cent), and Ontario wasn't far behind at 10.1 per cent.
Inflation has outpaced labour market and welfare incomes. Housing is increasingly unaffordable for many. Federal support for housing has plummeted and could decrease further in an era of so-called fiscal restraint.
The numbers point to more and more households unable to meet, or at risk of not meeting, basic needs including housing. Something's gotta give.
During the federal pre-budget
discussions [PDF] in the fall of 2011, Citizens for Public Justice noted that if the federal
government cancelled the corporate tax cuts scheduled for January 2012, $3 billion in revenue could be directed towards addressing the housing and homelessness crises, creating 47,000 jobs, building
155,550 affordable housing units, and supporting critical repairs to 200,000 homes
[see Building a Sustainable Recovery, Chandra Pasma, CPJ (12.09.11)].
While none of these measures would solve rental problems, they would be a step forward for many low-income individuals and families on social housing waitlists. Housing is a key
social determinant of health. In turn, health problems caused or exacerbated by homelessness or poor housing add to the demands and stresses on
healthcare systems. According to the Health Disparities Task Group of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Advisory Committee
on Population Health and Health Security, an estimated 20 per cent of the costs of Canada's health care system are attributed to "income disparities" (i.e., poverty).
Solutions to address poverty, housing problems, and homelessness have been identified by parliamentary committees, expert working groups, social justice NGOs, and academics. The federal government has
a wealth of solution options at its disposal and can choose to make tackling these issues, together, a top five priority. What it must not ignore are the images and stories from Attawapiskat a compelling
reminder of needs to be addressed and rights to be honoured and protected.
CALGARY, Nov. 14, 2011 /CNW/ - Many people living with a mental illness in Vancouver now have a place to live as part of the Mental Health Commission of Canada's (MHCC) national At Home/Chez Soi Project. Two
years after its official launch, there are currently over 230 participants receiving housing and access to specialized support services within the Vancouver project. Over 200 others have access to the regular
supports and services available in their community.
There are an estimated 1660 homeless people in Vancouver [cf. streetohome], and many of these people live with a mental illness. The At Home/Chez Soi Project is taking place to find out more about this social crisis and demonstrate
ways to help solve it, not only in Vancouver but across the country. The project is underway in four other cities including Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton. What we learn in these five cities will help
inform related planning and policy development across Canada. [...]
Report: 2000% increase in tickets to homeless youth - Toronto
TORONTO – Toronto police are ticketing the city’s homeless more aggressively than ever, despite a decline in offences, according to a new report by the University of Guelph and York University.
The report looked at interactions between Toronto police and homeless people, particularly youth. Researchers conducted an 11-year-long statistical review of the Ontario
Safe Streets Act, enacted in 2000,
and interviewed 244 street youth.
They found that the number of tickets issued under the Safe Streets Act rose from 710 in 2000 to 15,224 in 2010, an increase of more than 2000 per cent. Yet panhandling and squeegeeing are declining
in Toronto: In 2009, three per cent of street youth listed panhandling and squeegeeing as their main source of income, a significant drop from 29 per cent in 1999.
"Our research raises serious questions about the use of law enforcement as a strategy to address the visibility of homelessness in Canada," says report co-author Bill O’Grady, a sociology professor
at the University of Guelph. "We hope it will get people to think about whether the problem is really homeless people behaving badly," he says.
Tickets issued under the Safe Streets Act total more than $4 million in fines; the average fine is worth $60. Issuing those tickets is estimated to cost nearly $1 million in police hours,
notes report co-author Steve Gaetz, associate professor in York’s Faculty of Education and director of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network.
"Are the police merely responding to increases in aggressive panhandling, or is the ticketing part of a broader strategy of criminalizing homelessness in Canada? Given that these tickets are being issued
to people who have limited means to pay, it also raises the question of whether this is a good use of resources," Gaetz says. "We need to put more resources into addressing the root of the problem, rather
than punishing people for ending up on the street."
The report recommends repealing the Safe Streets Act and the use of ticketing. It also says homeless shelters should be open around the clock, and that the police should work collaboratively with homeless
service providers to find alternatives to ticketing and arrests. [...] [Read More]
[...] This report sets out to document the criminalization of homelessness in Canada by exploring the relationship
between homeless persons – in particular, street youth - and law enforcement officials (both the police and
private security). Drawing from over 240 interviews with street youth in Toronto in 2009, as well as a review of
official statistics on Ontario Safe Streets Act tickets in Toronto over the past 11 years, we explore the ways in which
homelessness has been criminalized through a law and order agenda. Effective policy should be informed by
research, not developed as a response to moral panics. Our research raises serious questions about the use of law
enforcement as a strategy to address the visibility of homelessness in Canada. [...]
O’Grady, Bill; Gaetz, Stephen; Buccieri, Kristy. (2011) Can I See Your ID? The Policing of Youth Homelessness in Toronto.
(Toronto: JFCY & Homeless Hub).
Across the country, small organizations of former soldiers are taking matters into their own hands, actively seeking out their homeless peers and matching them up with shelter, social services and government programs.
"We call ourselves 'ground support,"' said Jim Lowther, who started up the Veterans Emergency Transition Services network in Halifax, which is now being copied in several different provinces. "We stick with them until they
get back on their feet. It's been really successful."
The volunteers are often effective at a very local level, helping dozens of vets off their city streets. But they are frustrated at the lack of a larger plan and bracing for the inevitable wave of Afghan vets as they process
their experiences from home.
"It's absolutely wonderful that the vets are looking after their own. But at the end of the day, we need a different way of dealing with homelessness that would ensure that the second you touch the sector, all of a sudden
you're plugged in to the services and supports you need in a seamless way," said York University's Stephen Gaetz, director of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network.
Lowther and his crew track down vets on the street or search for those living in precarious circumstances. They give them shelter, food and clothing. And then they set to work filling out tedious forms and linking the
homeless vets to social services and programs provided by Veterans Affairs Canada. [...] [Read More
Toronto cracks down on panhandling
because homelessness and poverty look better when you don't see them
Source:Toronto considers a complete ban on panhandling
John Bonnar, Rabble.ca (18.08.11) John Bonnar is an independent journalist covering social justice events in and around Toronto through print, photo, audio, video and slideshows. All links and emphasis added.
It was an issue that was bound to resurface sooner or later. After all, the two previous mayors attempted to sweep the streets clean of homeless and poor people.
So why should the Ford administration be any different?
"It creates a really nasty, harmful atmosphere in the city," said Cathy Crowe, street nurse and spokesperson for the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee.
"We feel that there have been hate crimes against homeless people inspired by some of that language. And for sure less tolerance."
Some of that intolerance has led to an enormous increase in tickets handed out under the Safe Streets Act [1999]. In
2010, police laid 15,000 charges as compared with about 2,000 in 2004.
"They've done it because there's been some kind of direction or permission for them to focus their efforts on that," said Crowe. "And they know just as well as anyone that those tickets can't be paid."
Homeless and poor people panhandling barely have enough money for food and rent, much less to pay a $65 ticket. Single people on welfare receive $592 per month, $1053 per month if they're
on the Ontario Disability Support Program. But it's hard to find a 1-bedroom apartment for under $800 per month.
The province's Safe Streets Act came into force in 1999 to prohibit people from
panhandling for money in an aggressive manner and forbid panhandling near ATMs, pay phones and public transit stops.
"The majority of people ticketed are just begging," said Crowe. "And sure it makes some people feel uncomfortable but I can rarely think of a time when I've been aggressively panhandled."
As of July 31st, 2011, all those on welfare and disability who get the Special Diet have to re-apply under a much tougher system. It is expected that over August and September,
countless poor people across this province will lose this vital benefit or have it reduced significantly. It is a brutal cut at the worst time possible. [...] Read more at Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
So what's the recent crackdown really about then?
Crowe said it's about trying to reduce visible homeless- ness. Under Miller's regime, the bylaw against sleeping in civic squares like City Hall and Metro Hall came into effect. Miller also initiated the
Toronto Homeless Count and the Streets to Homes Program.
Around the same time, social service agencies funded by the city were prohibited from handing out survival supplies like sleeping bags and hot food.
The attacks have been coming for a dozen years. But this time it's coupled with attempts at major funding cuts for food programs, shelters and drop-ins, which will inevitably lead to more panhandling. [...]
Doug Johnson believes that any law that would completely ban panhandling in Toronto would have "the great virtue of being simultaneously unenforceable and unconstitutional."
Johnson, who began a joint program in Law and Theology at Duke University, has been coordinating street outreach programming for
Sanctuary Ministries of Toronto since the summer of 2006.
The top courts in Canada, according to Johnson, that have ruled on panhandling bans have said that it's a protected form of expression. "So that's why municipalities and provinces have always had their lawyers craft
such legislation to be only about aggressive or specific kinds of panhandling," said Johnson.
"There's no way of writing such a law that would not also ban people like Sick Kids panhandling for their cause."
Johnson said he started to notice a significant increase in tickets issued under the
Safe Streets Act in the spring of 2006. "And they were writing them for everything even
though the Act is very specific about what is aggressive panhandling," he said.
A group from Sanctuary met with then-mayor Miller that eventually led to an increase in resources by the city to help reduce the need to panhandle and a corresponding reduction in the number of tickets being issued. But
over the last year and a half, said Johnson, the number of tickets has sharply increased.
One of the biggest problems with the Safe Streets Act is that when people who have been on the streets for a number of years and accumulated several thousands of dollars in fines, said Nefs, "begin to make positive life
decisions, to battle their addiction issues, commit to their recommended medical treatment, or enter a job placement program and they finally get a phone, the first phone call they get is from creditors asking for $20,000."
If the legislation was used the way it was written, said Nefs, which is to discourage aggressive behaviour, it wouldn't be too harmful. But she's got clients who get five or six tickets a day.
"Sometimes the officer will give you three tickets at once for (alleged) aggressively soliciting, encumbering the sidewalk and consuming alcohol in a place other than permitted," said Nefs. "So there's $265 worth of tickets
right there. And then you move a block down the road and another officer comes up and gives you another three tickets."
"But when you get $20,000 worth of tickets for people who are now trying to get off the street, it makes it that much harder to make a fresh start. So you're actually doing the opposite of what you're trying to do."
Because Nefs's organization is the only one in Ontario doing this type of work, many homeless people go without representation and are being jailed under the
Safe Streets Act for up to several weeks.
"And they're coming out again, put back on the streets to face exactly the same situation," said anti-poverty activist John Clarke, who has worked as an organizer with the
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) for the past two decades. [...] Read the full story
Today, the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) and 21 local organizations celebrated the launch of the first-ever, city-wide Plan to End Youth Homelessness (Youth Plan) in Canada.
"I was homeless for a couple of years -- living on the streets and on my friends' couches, not knowing where and when my next meal was going to come from," said Sven Frohasdorf, who was rehoused with support by the Calgary John Howard Society. "Now I have a safe place to call home and the chance to go to work every day. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel."
"When I was homeless I was confused and didn't know what to do," said David Rhoads. "Now that I am housed and working, I feel independent, which I never felt before."
It is believed there are as many as 2,000 individuals up to 24 years old who do not have a permanent residence in Calgary. These numbers are likely low because youth homelessness is often hidden, with young people couch surfing and sleeping outside.
"We must make preventing and ending youth homelessness a priority because these young people are extremely vulnerable," said Tim Richter, President and CEO, Calgary Homeless Foundation.
The goal of the Youth Plan is that by January 29, 2018 the maximum average stay in an emergency shelter will be reduced to less than seven days, at which point any young person will be moved into a safe, decent, affordable home with the support needed to sustain it. The strategies to reach this goal include:
increasing the coordination and collaboration among agencies and organizations working with youth experiencing homelessness;
providing adequate housing for youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness; and
gaining a better understanding of youth homelessness and influencing government policies needed to end youth homelessness.
The drafting and implementation of the Youth Plan is a multi-stakeholder, community-based effort reflecting the knowledge of the Youth Sector of the Community Action Committee. This group provides a coordinated and
centralized source of expertise, knowledge, resources, referrals, supports and advocacy on issues related to youth homelessness and youth at risk. The Youth Plan also incorporates local and global research and best
practices on youth homelessness. The following organizations are integral to the Youth Sector and Youth Plan.
Alberta Children and Youth Services
Alberta Health Services
Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness
Aspen Family & Community Network Society
Boys and Girls Club of Calgary
Calgary Homeless Foundation
Calgary John Howard Society
Calgary Police Services
Calgary Sexual Health Centre
Calgary Youth Offenders Centre
Canadian Red Cross
Catholic Family Services
Children's Legal and Educational Resource Centre
City of Calgary, Community & Neighbourhood Services
Community Action Committee
Enviros
Hull Child and Family Services
McMan Youth, Family and Community Services
The Alex Youth Health Centre
United Way of Calgary and Area
Wood's Homes
Youth Criminal Defence Office
As well, community groups such as the TELUS Calgary Community Board, a philanthropic granting board, invested $20,000 in this project and will invest $500,000 in community youth projects this year.
"It has never been more vital than it is today for at-risk youth to have access to safe and affordable housing," said Ken King, Chair of the TELUS Calgary Community Board. "The TELUS Calgary Community Board is proud to partner with the Calgary Homeless Foundation and youth-serving agencies across Calgary on this city-wide collaborative effort to end youth homelessness. I believe this, along with the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, positions Calgary as a leader in effectively dealing with the complexities surrounding this issue." [...]
Vancouver's Housing and Homelessness Plan 2012-2021
Concerns about Vancouver’s affordable housing supply dominated a public meeting at city hall today, as councillors voted to pass a 10-year housing and homelessness strategy.
The city’s 10-year plan includes a target of 38,900 new housing units over 10 years, including a mix of social housing, market rental and affordable home ownership.
The strategies to achieve the goals include a contribution from the city of $42.4 million in land and capital grants to fund 1,150 new units of non-market housing, expanding the zones
and housing types that allow for secondary suites and laneway housing to be built, expanding shelter services for underserved homeless groups, and creating a rent bank.
Mayor Gregor Robertson called the plan "the most ambitious housing and homelessness strategy in Vancouver’s history". [...]
Dignity Project Seeks to Address Persistent Myths About 150,000 Canadians Living on the Streets
TORONTO, May 25, 2011 /CNW/ - Canadians have spoken and they have something to say about homelessness in Canada. A report released today by The Salvation Army
provides a unique look into how Canadians feel about the more than 150,000 homeless living on the streets in cities across the country. The report, "Canada Speaks," is a part of The Salvation Army's
ongoing Dignity Project - a national effort to educate and engage Canadians about the reality of poverty in the 21st century.
The survey of more than 1,000 Canadians, conducted this April by Angus Reid Public Opinion, revealed that a surprising number of Canadians have had first-hand experience with homelessness and related issues -
nearly one-quarter of Canadians have received or are currently receiving assistance from a food bank or charitable group while seven percent reported that they have had to sleep on the
street or in a shelter due to lack of housing at some point in their lives
Additional key findings include:
Approximately 40 percent of Canadians believe that most homeless people want to live on the street and in shelters.
Almost 30 percent of Canadians believe that a good work ethic is all you need to escape homelessness.
Nearly one-fifth of Canadians believe that individuals experiencing homelessness are always to blame for the situation they are in.
43 percent of Canadians never give money to a homeless person on the street.
40 percent believe that most homeless people are mentally ill.
More than one-third of Canadians are scared of homeless people.
Also:
Nearly all of the respondents believe that individuals experiencing homelessness deserve a sense of dignity.
93 percent agree that no one in Canada should be homeless.
86 percent of Canadiansbelieve that housing is fundamental right for all Canadians.
75 percent acknowledge that once you become homeless it is exceptionally difficult to get into housing
"The people of Canada have spoken and revealed much about their attitudes and perceptions about the nation's homeless," said
Commissioner William Francis, leader of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda. "We hope that through this report and the Dignity Project, we can continue to educate and inspire the public and work
towards a Canada without homelessness."
The Salvation Army is highlighting the issue of homelessness this month as part of its annual May Red Shield Campaign and the
ongoing Dignity Project. Money raised during the campaign will directly support those living in poverty today through social services like emergency shelter
care, substance abuse counseling and employment training. The Dignity Project is designed to inspire and educate the public about what it means to
live in poverty - and what they can do to help. Through online events, on-the-street outreach, traditional advertising, social networking and other
communications tactics, The Salvation Army will engage Canadians about the reality of poverty in the 21st century.
"The vast majority of Canadians agree with The Salvation Army's belief that nobody in Canada should be homeless and housing
is a fundamental right for all Canadians," said Commissioner Francis. "Now, it's time to come together, and address some of the myths that still surround the
more than 150,000 of our fellow citizens who don't have a home and determine a solution to this persistent societal problem." [...]
TORONTO - A new York University report is calling for reform in the approach to dealing with youth homelessness and emphasizing the potential role family members can play in supporting youngsters in need.
The report said it's estimated roughly 65,000 young people are homeless or living in homeless shelters throughout the country at one time or another during a given year.
Stephen Gaetz, associate dean of research and professional development in York's faculty of education, used to work in the youth homelessness sector in the '90s. He said the approach in Canada has remained much
the same since — namely, the focus on provision of emergency services.
"The longer I'm involved in this issue, the more upset I am that we allow 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds to languish in emergency shelters rather than to provide them with better solutions and better options," said Gaetz.
He co-authored the report with Daphne Winland, an associate professor in York's department of anthropology, and researcher Tara Patton.
Gaetz noted that other countries, such as Australia and the U.K., have evolved approaches focusing on prevention and moving individuals out of homelessness and into housing. He said while emergency services are
needed, the real emphasis should be on preventing young people from becoming and remaining homeless.
Gaetz said research in Canada is pretty consistent in showing that between 60 and 70 per cent of young people come from households where they've experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Yet even
in situations where they're leaving households where they may have been abused, it doesn't mean their relationship with all family members has soured, he noted.
Even though family conflict is probably at the core of the majority of youth homelessness, it doesn't mean that those relationships are irreconcilable, Gaetz said. In certain cases, there may not be
a history of abuse but perhaps family conflict which can often be addressed. That means more intensive support is needed for both the youngster and their family.
"If there's conflict parents may not know what to do. There may be anger management issues that need working on; there may be mediation. There may also just need to be a cooling-out period."
The report profiles the Family Reconnect program run by Eva's Initiatives, which operates three shelters in the Toronto area and works with homeless and at-risk youth aged 16-24 to get them off the streets permanently.
The program provides youngsters with support through various channels, including counselling, to help get them on track to potentially return home or move into the community, ideally with family support. [...]
So, what do you think of when you see a kid on the street? What crosses your mind? Is he or she a runaway? A dropout? A kid looking for kicks? Is it a young
person fleeing abuse at home? Usually, when we think of teenagers, we also think of them in relation to family. They’re young, so they must have parents,
brothers and sisters, grandparents, right? But in that moment of contact when you see them sitting on the sidewalk often looking unkept, cold and hungry,
family is nowhere to be seen. What comes to my mind when I encounter a homeless youth is that they must be running away from something; something that
has clearly gone very wrong.
As a mother, my instinct is that they are vulnerable and need care, and I often wonder how they ended up on the street. I think about whether there is any
possibility of reconciling with their families and going home. I also wonder how agencies that serve street youth support them, and what if any efforts are made
to help young people reconnect with families? I say this fully cognizant of the fact that many young people are forced to
leave very difficult home lives characterized by
violence
and abuse, and
going back may not even be possible.
Our new report, Family Matters (co-authored by
Stephen Gaetz and Tara Patton), looks at the experiences of homeless youth and the
efforts of Family Reconnect, a unique program delivered through Eva’s Initiatives. Through assessment, counseling and help that allows young
people to access appropriate services and supports, the Family Reconnect team work to help young people address underlying conflicts within their families,
and hopefully improve relationships to the point that they are able to return home, or move into the community, ideally with family support. Family
reconnection can mean making contact with a mom or dad, but also an uncle, aunt, sibling or grandparent. If contact is not possible or desired by a young person,
Family Reconnect counselors can help youth come to terms with this reality and move forward with their lives in a healthy and productive way.
Our research demonstrates that for many homeless youth and those at risk of homelessness, family does matter. We have found that not only do youth
express the desire to improve relations with family, but that often the problems that forced these kids to leave home have more to do with family member’s
struggles with mental health, abuse, poverty and/or addictions, rather than with the problems of the youth themselves. We also found that in many cases, family
members couldn’t cope with the challenges of undiagnosed learning or mental health issues of youth, and this can often lead to youth homelessness.
Providing youth and their families with needed support and counseling can lead to the early identification of underlying issues and challenges. From
there, the necessary supports can lay the foundation for potential reconciliation with family or community, or allow the young person to move towards independent living in a safe and planned way. [...]
United Way agency partner Main Street Project interviewed 300 people who experience homelessness in Winnipeg, and released a
report today recommending quick action aimed at addressing the root causes of homelessness.
Some facts from the report:
1 in 5 homeless wom[e]n has been sexually assaulted in the past year, most of them more than once
Only 3% of homeless people said mental health issues were the cause of their homelessness
Respondents were 5x more likely identify themselves as Aboriginal than the general Winnipeg population
39% of people said they couldn't get enough food a few days a week
43% have a tough time getting their clothes washed, which impacts their employability
78% smoke, and 48% do so by picking up butts off the ground
14% drink daily, and 20% used crack regularly in the past year
45% said they've spent at least one night in the hospital in the past year (& 22% left against medical advice)
Source:The Winnipeg Street Health Report 2011
Suzanne Gessler, Christina Maes. Sponsored by Main Street Project; funded by the Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy. Winnipeg: March 2011.
"Waiting."! Those we interviewed for the Winnipeg Street Health Report used the word repeatedly. People reported spending hours, days, weeks and years waiting to have their basic needs met. These include food,
personal hygiene, clothing, health care, employment, financial support and most importantly for solutions to homelessness, housing.
Waiting for basic needs creates disruptions in people’s lives. It prevents them from achieving a reasonable standard of living, and the terrible living conditions of homeless people lead to stress,
illness and even death. In Winnipeg homeless people have been waiting too long. It is time for action
Leadership within government and communities, along with dedicated political will, are absolutely essential for resolving this escalating social problem. Homelessness and the associated unmet basic
needs are not only degrading and devastating for individuals’ lives and health, but are costly to entire communities in absolute and opportunity costs and lost person years of productivity.
Effective leadership to end homelessness must "rst and foremost move away from short-term "bandaid" approaches and aim to prevent homelessness in the first place with housing policies and multiple
strategies that ensure secure, permanent, affordable and appropriate shelter for everyone.
An Important Election Issue:
The right to adequate housing ... the significance of Bill C-304
Toward a National Housing Strategy
Source:Law Reform Bill C-304
Bruce Porter, Social Rights Advocacy Centre Accessed 14 April 2011.
Bill C-304 was before the Parliament of Canada awaiting debate and third reading, with the committed support of the majorithy of parliamentarians, when
the Conservative Government was defeated on a Motion of Non-Confidence on March 25, 2011. Introduced as a private member's bill by Libby Davies, MP, the bill
had been significantly enhanced by amendments adopted by the
Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of
Persons with Disabilities to conform with key recommendations from UN Human Rights bodies for a national housing strategy in Canada based on the right to adequate housing. The Bill includes:
targets and timelines for the elimination of homelessness
a process for the independent review, addressing and reporting of complaints about possible violations of the right to adequate housing;
a process for review and follow-up on any concerns or recommendations from United Nations human rights bodies with respect to the right to adequate housing;
a key role for civil society organizations, including those representing groups in need of housing, and Aboriginal communities in designing
the delivery, monitoring and evaluation of programs required to implement the right to adequate housing;
provision of financial assistance to those who cannot otherwise afford housing.
The Bill had also been improved by an amendment from the Bloc Quebecois recognizing Quebec's unique commitment to the rights in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
and its ability to participate in a national strategy through its own programs and policies.
Years after provincial inquiry, more work is needed to improve prevention and treatment measures for people with tuberculosis
One in five homeless people with tuberculosis die[s] within a year of their diagnosis, according to a study led by Dr. Kamran Khan [St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto]. And that number remains unchanged over
the last decade despite recommendations calling for greater improvements in prevention and control of tuberculosis in homeless shelters.
A provincial coroner’s inquest into the death of Joseph Teigesser, a homeless man who died of tuberculosis in Toronto in 2001, made 13 formal recommendations. These included provincial funding for a
centralized clinic system to provide specialized care for those with tuberculosis in Ontario and a review and improvement of shelter ventilation systems. However, the work surrounding these two key
recommendations has fallen short, the researchers say in the study.
"The treatment of tuberculosis is often complicated by inadequate housing, substance dependence, language barriers, mental health problems, not to mention the enormous stigma that comes with this disease,"
Khan says. "To effectively control tuberculosis, centres with specialized expertise and resources are needed to address these complex issues."
Abstract
While tuberculosis (TB) in Canadian cities is increasingly affecting foreign-born persons, homeless persons remain at high risk. To assess trends in TB, we studied all homeless persons in Toronto who
had a diagnosis of active TB during 1998–2007. We compared Canada-born and foreign-born homeless persons and assessed changes over time. We identified 91 homeless persons with active TB; they typically
had highly contagious, advanced disease, and 19% died within 12 months of diagnosis. The proportion of homeless persons who were foreign-born increased from 24% in 1998–2002 to 39% in 2003–2007. Among
foreign-born homeless persons with TB, 56% of infections were caused by strains not known to circulate among homeless persons in Toronto. Only 2% of infections were resistant to first-line TB medications.
The rise in foreign-born homeless persons with TB strains likely acquired overseas suggests that the risk for drug-resistant strains entering the homeless shelter system may be escalating.
The 10-year study, published in the March issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, also found a growing proportion of tuberculosis cases in Toronto’s homeless shelters are in immigrants,
raising the risk that dangerous drug resistant strains of tuberculosis could enter the shelter system.
The study found nearly 40 per cent of all tuberculosis cases in the homeless were in immigrants. About 56 per cent of all infections in immigrants involved strains that were not known to be circulating in
the city, and were likely acquired in other parts of the world where drug resistance is common.
Historically, tuberculosis in Toronto’s homeless population was mostly a disease of Canadian-born men. While highly drug resistant tuberculosis is unusual among people born in Canada, it is an emerging
threat in many developing areas of the world. If a drug resistant strain of tuberculosis were introduced into the shelter system, it could set off an outbreak that would have serious public health implications
and be very difficult to control. Financial resources to manage such an outbreak would dwarf the costs of strengthening preventive measures today, the researchers warn.
"There's been a lot of good work on tuberculosis prevention and treatment in the homeless sector in Toronto over the last several years, and ventilation systems in shelters have improved, although
dedicated funds are needed to make further improvements," said Dr. Elizabeth Rea, a study co-author and associate medical officer of health with Toronto Public Health. "But we also need more affordable
housing and we need better access to primary and specialized care for vulnerable homeless individuals."
Tuberculosis is a serious, contagious disease caused by a bacterial infection. Once a person is exposed to tuberculosis, the infection can remain dormant for years to decades before becoming active.
However, persons with weakened immune systems, including many homeless persons, are at much greater risk of developing the active form of tuberculosis. While most tuberculosis cases are treatable, highly drug
resistant strains of tuberculosis can be life threatening and require years of treatment to cure.
"We need to do a much better job in preventing tuberculosis from spreading in this vulnerable population, and in providing timely, effective clinical care for those who are affected by this disease," says Dr.
Michael Gardam, co-author and director of the tuberculosis clinic at the Toronto Western Hospital. "We have shown in previous research that treatment in dedicated tuberculosis clinics by experienced staff plays a
major role in improving the likelihood of survival from tuberculosis."
"Outstanding progress" cited as focus turns to system reform in update to 10 Year Plan released today
The Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) marked the third anniversary of Calgary's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness [...] with community and government partners
today. At an event held at noon, the CHF celebrated success in the first three years and released an update to the 10 Year Plan [see video, below].
"We've made outstanding progress in the first three years," said Tim Richter, President and CEO of the CHF. "The next three years will be all about building
on that success and improving the coordination and effectiveness of the homeless serving system."
The updated 10 Year Plan contains some minor course corrections and spells out in more detail the focus of the next three years, including plans for structural changes to the homeless-serving system and an ambitious goal to close gaps in public systems like health care,
corrections and children's services that unintentionally contribute to homelessness.
[...] The first three years of the 10 Year Plan were focused on creating rapid, visible and meaningful change in Calgary's response to homelessness. Highlights include:
A shift in three years from Calgary having the fastest growing homeless population in Canada to stabilized emergency shelter use, despite a recession.
New Housing First programs helping to house and support 2,000 men, women and children
Several local, provincial and national 'firsts' including:
assembling a research network and agenda to end homelessness;
engaging the private sector in the 10 Year Plan through funding and leveraging skills; and
developing a tool to assess the risk of mortality and thus prioritize those most vulnerable.
Calgary's 10 Year Plan was first published on January 29, 2008, at a time when the city had Canada's fastest growing population of people experiencing
homelessness. A multi-stakeholder, community-based group of leaders from the public and private sectors, the faith community and non-profit agencies decided
Calgary needed to shift its thinking from managing homelessness to ending it.
The 10 Year Plan targets an end to homelessness by January 29, 2018. Ending homelessness means that an individual or family will stay in an emergency
shelter or sleep outside for no longer than one week before moving into a safe, decent and affordable home with the support needed to sustain it.
a plan to build a homeless-serving system focused on ending homelessness;
an increased emphasis on homelessness prevention and reform of public systems that contribute to homelessness;
a refocused housing strategy that concentrates limited resources on housing for those in greatest need;
added attention to the unique needs of vulnerable subpopulations, including youth, women, families and Aboriginal Peoples;
combining the prevention and re-housing strategies in the original 10 Year Plan; and
beginning a process to transition to community leadership and planning for long-term sustainability of success.
Eleven other Canadian cities have drafted 10 Year Plans, and momentum is building across the country to create a Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness modelled on the National Alliance to End Homelessness in the United States.
The 10 Year Plan model continues to be successful in more than 300 communities across the United States. The model is based on Housing First, where
people experiencing homelessness are quickly moved into appropriate housing where they can begin to work on the issues that contributed to their
homelessness from the stability and safety of a home. Research demonstrates that it costs less to provide appropriate housing and support to a person at risk of
or experiencing homelessness compared with providing short-term and ongoing emergency and institutional responses. [...]
Her powerful flashlight cuts through the pre-dawn darkness in Stanley Park as Constable Jodyne Keller makes her lonely rounds. Unlike most of her police colleagues, however, she's not gunning for criminals.
Constable Keller is searching out the homeless, those with no roof to call their own who use the city's prime tourist attraction as a chilly, outdoor bedroom. [...]
It's a new, outreach approach to policing that attracted Constable Keller after years of seeing the same people and the same problems as she patrolled the flophouses, dingy rooming hotels and mean streets of the
Downtown Eastside.
The Vancouver Police Department's Homeless Outreach Program
Vancouver homeless count for 2010 was almost 1,800, up from 1,500 the year before. Vancouver police Homeless Outreach coordinator Constable Jodyne Keller checks on those sleeping outside, making sure they are alive.
"I was always there for criminal activity, but I found myself thinking, there's got to be something better we can do," she said. "And what we have found is that, when they are given someone who cares, these people
often do take steps, they do get housing. Some of the changes we see are amazing."
Spokeswoman Jan McGuinness said the VPD takes homelessness very seriously. "We don't think anyone should have to sleep out in the cold. ... Our officers come into contact with homeless people in need every
day, on every shift, so it only makes sense that we do more to help out."
Doug King of the PIVOT [L]egal [S]ociety, often critical of VPD policing in the Downtown Eastside, said the police outreach program is a step in the right direction.
"There are still gaps, more housing is needed, and Jodyne Keller's approach is not necessarily the position of cops on patrol, but it's still a positive thing," said Mr. King.
A homeless count last March indicated more than 1,700 people were living on the street in Vancouver, up from about 1,500 the previous year.
Constable Keller said the most important thing about the homeless is to remember they are human beings, and that's a message for everyone.
"If you see them, look them in the eye. Say 'Hello.' They will remember you. You restore their dignity."
Will 2011 be the year that Canada finally re-joins other leading nations of the world by implementing a comprehensive and fully-funded national housing plan? A powerful foundation for a long-overdue housing strategy
was laid in 2010 with actions in Parliament, the courts and the community.
The pressure is growing for a co-ordinated strategy that links the federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments, along with the non-profit and private sectors. Canada is alone among
the developed countries of the world without a national housing plan. Deep and persistent housing insecurity is not only disrupting individuals, but it is affecting the health of communities and
both local and national economies.
Follow the hyper-links throughout this backgrounder for a tour of housing and homelessness highlights from 2010 that will have an impact on policy in 2011. [...]
Homelessness and inadequate housing in northern Canada disproportionately afflicts Indigenous people...
Today, homelessness and inadequate housing in northern Canada disproportionately afflicts Indigenous people. This is a striking fact in a region where
Indigenous people lived very independently (though of course not autarkicly) until the second half of the twentieth century. In the years since then both
economic development and state initiatives have transformed their lives.
Speaking to a public inquiry in the 1970s, Charlie Snowshoe explained the consequences of federal northern development for himself and his community:
...when they started coming in with these low rental housing and welfare. The people, the native people of the north, were independent until you brought in that low rental housing, and that's where we first got sucked into
that business. They subsidized the oil, the gas, taking our own houses away from us, moving us from where we used to be, where we could cut wood for ourselves in town. I was one of them. Today I am sorry. I was sorry long
ago, but right now if I move out of that house, I don't know where else I have to go to.
....The only thing I can say is that change in life sort of crept upon us and we are realizing now what we got into. At the time, everything was changing, and I used to say we were sleeping at the time government stepped
over us. But we weren't sleeping. We were our living in the bush and didn't know what was going on in the community...
Although it is important to remember that the Canadian North is an enormous geographical area (half the size of Australia) with significant cultural and historical diversity we believe that
Indigenous people in many parts of the north would recognize aspects of their experience in these words of Charlie Snowshoe.
In the years since Mr. Snowshoe spoke, much has changed. Dene, Métis, Inuit and the other Indigenous peoples of the Canadian northlands have organized successfully to bring about a
major transformation in economic and political power structures. They have moved from the margins of decision-making to the centre. Over the last thirty years, they have negotiated new treaties with the Crown,
established various forms of Indigenous governments, and transformed territorial governing institutions. In each of Canada's three northern territories, Indigenous individuals are political and economic leaders,
and many others are in positions of influence in organizations, actively working towards positive change.
But if there are important political and economic gains, the social transformation is far from complete. The legacy of cultural disruption and decades of undemocratic administration survives in higher rates of suicide,
lower educational attainment, higher unemployment and higher rates of homelessness, among other indicators of broad social distress in Indigenous communities. Inequality within Indigenous societies is growing. [...] → Read More
click image to download issue
Parity. December 2010;23(9).
In this issue FEATURE: Homelessness and Dispossession
Introduction — Dispossession Starts at Home. Murray N.
The Dispossession of Indigenous People: and it's Consequences. Mick Dodson AM.
Indigenous Homelessness in Australia: An Introduction. Memmott P, Chambers C.
The Roots of Aboriginal Homelessness in Canada. Leach A.
The Original Peoples of Australia, New Zealand and Canada and Homelessness: Are we truly living in ‘Post Colonial' Societies? M. Morning Star Doherty.
Indigenous Homelessness: The Long Grass Difference. Parsell C.
Displacement of Indigenous Peoples in the Former White Settler Colonies of Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Emsley S.
Homeless in the Homeland: A Growing Problem for Indigenous People in Canada's North. Abele F, Falvo N, Haché A.
SAFE TRACKS — A Strategic Framework for Supporting Aboriginal Mobility and Reducing Aboriginal Homelessness. Beck K, Shard C.
Indigenous Journeys from School to Work: A Canadian Perspective. Britten L.
Contemporary Displacement Pressures on Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory. Emsley S.
What Has Changed? Laws D.
Opinion - Australian Indigenous Homelessness and Dispossession. Baoin-McCann F.
pp.9-10 Improving Client Services
Today, there are more than 20 provincial housing and homelessness programs in Ontario, each operating independently of each other and with their own rules.
Currently, municipalities are generally required to use funding only for specific purposes set out by the province. People in need of services can find it discouraging
and difficult to gain access to uncoordinated programs.
A central element of the long-term strategy is to consolidate the current patchwork of provincial housing programs and allow municipalities to use funding in a more
flexible manner, reflective of local need. [...]
Through the strategy, an integrated, client-centred approach will replace the current program-focused system that is bound by unnecessary, restrictive
guidelines. Housing supports will be wrapped around individuals and families, according to their specific needs. Of the approximately $430 million in annual
provincial operating funding, almost half will be consolidated by 2013.
For example, funding that must currently be used for emergency shelter beds could instead be used to provide a person with more stable housing, if it was a
better way to meet community needs. Tax dollars could be used more efficiently as remaining funds could be used to provide additional social supports that
might further help someone get ahead.
This is a real example of how a strategy focused on partnerships and putting people first would work. Housing programs would be flexible and tailored to
local needs. [...]
Claiming it needed "the time to get it right," the Liberal government at Queen's Park long delayed releasing a long-term affordable housing strategy. That's what makes what was released Monday – three
years after it was first promised in the 2007 election campaign – all the more disappointing.
The housing strategy is little more than a series of regulatory changes that reduce red tape, simplify convoluted rules and provide municipalities more flexibility to cater to local needs.
These measures, which Housing Minister Rick Bartolucci is trying to pass off as a full-fledged strategy, could have been carried out as part of various government initiatives to streamline
regulations and modernize rules.
One change (calculating income annually, instead of monthly) will be helpful to low-income households lucky enough to already live in subsidized housing and to raise their income levels
through paid work. Under the new rules, their rent would not go up for a year.
The strategy is called "Building Foundations: Building Futures," but it does not propose actually building any new housing. Nor does it fund any new rent subsidies to help people
afford existing apartments. That means it does next to nothing for the 142,000 low-income families in Ontario on waiting lists of up to 20 years for subsidized housing.
With demand obviously outstripping supply, Ontarians deserve better than a long-term strategy that has no targets for building more social housing and no new funding to support.
To be sure, the existing legislation governing social housing is outdated, and there are regulations that create barriers for low-income tenants. It makes sense to change these laws, as
the government is doing with a new bill. But legislative changes alone will not transform lives, open doors and lower rents for families in need.
"It is essential that Ontario families have a safe, affordable place to call home," says Laurel Broten, the minister responsible for Ontario's overall poverty reduction strategy.
We agree. But this plan doesn't make it happen for the 142,000 households who are desperately waiting for a home they can afford without skipping trips to the grocery store.
Housing Vulnerability and Health: Canada's Hidden Emergency
Researchers Say Canada Needs a National Housing Strategy
Dr. Stephen Hwang. Image Credit: St. Michael's Hospital
For every one person in Canada who is homeless, another 23 live in unsafe, crowded or unaffordable housing, meaning the country's housing crisis is even worse than previously thought, according to Dr.
Stephen Hwang of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
Those "vulnerably housed" people have the same severe health problems and dangers of assault as homeless people, said Hwang, principal investigator of a
new report on housing and health issues in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa.
"The key point is that Canada needs a national housing strategy," Hwang said. "We all recognize that health care is important for good health, and so we have
universal health care. Decent and affordable housing is just as essential for good health."
The report, "Housing Vulnerability and Health: Canada's Hidden Emergency," [...] contains
startling new data from the first Canadian study to chart the changes over time in the health and housing status
of the homeless and vulnerably housed and the first to compare their health outcomes.
There is no accurate count of the number of homeless people in Canada, because so many are hidden or sleep on the streets or friend's couches. In 2005,
the federal government estimated there were 150,000 homeless Canadians, or about 0.5 per cent of the population, although homeless advocates have always said the
number was much higher.
For the first time in Canada, we have the numbers to show that people who are vulnerably housed face the same severe health problems - and danger of assault - as people who are homeless.
The number of people experiencing the devastating health outcomes associated with inadequate housing could be staggering. There are about 17,000 shelter beds available across Canada every night, but almost 400,000
Canadians are vulnerably housed. This means that for each person who is homeless in Canada, 23 more people are vulnerably housed paying more than half of their monthly income for rent, and living with substantial
risk of becoming homeless.
Key findings: People who don't have a healthy place to live regardless of whether they're vulnerably housed or homeless are at high risk of serious physical and mental health problems and major problems accessing
the health care they need. Many end up hospitalized or in the emergency department. 40 per cent of people who don't have a healthy place to live have been assaulted at least once in the past year, and one in three have
trouble getting enough to eat.
Key recommendations: We're calling for the federal government to respond by setting national housing standards that ensure universal, timely access to healthy (i.e. decent, stable, and affordable) housing. [...] → Download the Report
The report by Hwang's group notes there are 17,000 shelter beds regularly available across the country. But, for each person staying at a homeless
shelter, there are another 23 people about 400,000 across Canada who are vulnerably housed and at risk of becoming homeless, meaning they had a place to
live, but it was in bad condition, crowded, unsafe or cost more than 50 per cent of their income.
"Before now, researchers and decision-makers have often thought of these groups, the homeless and the vulnerably housed, as two distinct populations,
with two different levels of need," Hwang said. "This study paints a different picture."
According to the report, both groups of people share the following problems:
Chronic health conditions such as arthritis (33 per cent), Hepatitis B and C (30 per cent) and asthma (23 per cent)
38 per cent have been assaulted in the past year
52 per cent have been diagnosed with a mental health problem
One in three has trouble getting enough to eat
38 per cent cannot get the health care they need
55 per cent visited an emergency department in the past year
In the next phase of their study, the researchers will undertake the first study in Canada to discover how often homeless people get housing and stay
housed, and how often the vulnerably housed become homeless – and the health implications of these changes. If the vulnerably housed become homeless, do they
use health care more and does their health deteriorate, and if the homeless find homes does their health improve and health care use decrease?
Hwang is a physician in the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at St. Michael's. He leads a group called the Research Alliance for Canadian
Homelessness, Housing, and Health (REACH3), which includes some of Canada's leading academic researchers and community organizations with expertise on
homelessness. The study of longitudinal changes in the health and housing status of 1,200 homeless and vulnerably houses single adults in Vancouver, Toronto and
Ottawa is one of REACH3's projects and is known as the Health and Housing in
Transition (HHiT) study. [...]
Putting up homeless patients in BC acute care beds: The need for a larger anti-poverty plan and coherent housing strategy.
VANCOUVER - Provincial hospitals are increasingly putting up homeless patients in acute care beds because they have no place else to go, according to data from British Columbia's Ministry of Health.
The data, obtained by the Opposition New Democrats, shows that hospitals have been increasingly converting beds into a form of social housing over the past decade.
NDP Health Critic Adrian Dix speaks in front of St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver Sunday. (Carmine Marinelli, QMI Agency) Credit: Poverty policy pressuring hospitals: Dix, Dharm Makwana, QMI Agency,
24 Hours Vancouver (15.11.10).
Although the patients no longer need hospitalization and would normally be discharged, health care professionals are giving them the designation of "alternative level of care."
Homelessness, inadequate housing and other problems related to housing and economic circumstances are given as reasons for keeping patients at the hospital.
Each acute care bed costs about $1000 a day, said NDP health critic Adrian Dix.
"When we talk about the costs of housing, there's also the costs of not providing housing — this is clearly one of those costs," Dix said Sunday.
Comparing the number of patients staying in such beds in 2001-02 versus 2008-09 reveals an increase of 192 per cent, from 154 to 458 beds. The rise for homeless patients alone went from 18 to 88 beds
in the same time frame, a jump of 388 per cent.
Dix blames cost-cutting by the B.C. Liberals for the trend.
"When you don't provide adequate services in the community, frequently those problems come back to you through the emergency room in the hospital or, in many cases, through the criminal justice system," he said.
"Prevention is always less expensive than dealing with these issues after the fact."
The government should follow the lead of many other provinces and implement a larger anti-poverty plan and coherent housing strategy to address the need, Dix argued.
"They will find if they do that, that there are positive implications. Not just for society in the reduction of inequality, but for government in real cost reductions."
A new process to help homeless people obtain secure provincial ID cards will aid in tasks most Albertans take for granted, such as getting a job, renting an apartment and opening a bank account.
"Lack of identification has a domino effect. We want to remove those barriers homeless people face for everything," Jonathan Denis, minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, said at a news conference
announcing the new process on Thursday in Edmonton.
Jonathan Denis, minister of housing and urban affairs, holds a sample card that will give homeless easier access to a variety of services.
Credit: Edmonton Journal. Photo Credit: Brian Gavriloff, The Journal, Edmonton Journal.
"Many of these people do have jobs and I'm proud they will now have an option to set up a bank account, so they don't have to go to cheque cashing places with punishing fees. Twenty to 30 dollars
may not be much to us, but it's a lot to those who are struggling."
Denis said the changes are part of the province's 10-year plan to end homelessness and make all Albertans more independent. [...]
The homeless will get the same provincial ID card that's available to those who don't have a driver's licence, at a cost of $12.30 annually, says Donna McColl, spokeswoman for Housing and Urban Affairs.
"Agencies have people trained to help guide individuals through the process," she said. "They can search for forms of identification to verify their identity, then sign off for them to get their card." [...]
It is estimated about 8,500 people in Alberta have no fixed address.
Obtaining an Alberta Identification Card...
Source: Personal Identification
Housing & Urban Affiars, Government of Alberta
Accessed 11 October 2010.
In June 2009, a Government of Alberta (GOA) cross-government committee, chaired by Housing and Urban Affairs, was formed to help homeless Albertans
acquire identification (ID) and to increase access to vital GOA assistance programs and services. Two significant barriers that homeless people face
when trying to obtain ID are having an address and verification of identity. To address this, the committee developed two new processes to help
homeless Albertans obtain government-issued ID cards:
The Address Authorization process authorizes the use of a shelter or drop-in's address for a homeless person applying for an Alberta Identification Card.
The Identity Certification process certifies the applicant's identity. It allows a homeless or recently housed person to work with a service provider to verify their identity and
obtain acceptable supporting documents in order to apply for an Alberta Identification Card.
Without official ID, a homeless person cannot access certain community services and programs. This barrier can create a domino effect that makes it more difficult to obtain a permanent home.
Address Authorization and Identity Certification
Between October and December 2010, training to deliver ID services to the homeless will be provided to government-funded shelters, drop-in
centres, and homeless-serving agencies across the province.
Once an agency receives training and certification, it may offer the service to homeless individuals.
All Housing and Urban Affairs-funded shelters and agencies funded by a community-based organization will be notified of the training opportunity in their city. All other
interested agencies can e-mail hua.certifyingagency@gov.ab.ca for more information.
Precarious Housing in Canada (2010) is a powerful, new research and policy report from the Wellesley Institute. Using the most comprehensive and current data, research and analysis, Precarious Housing
sets out a pragmatic, five-point plan targeted to the millions of Canadians who are living in substandard, over-crowded and unaffordable homes – plus those who are living without any housing at all.
Housing is one of the most important factors for a healthy life. A good home is important for individuals and for overall population health. The growing number of Canadians who are precariously housed
continues to be a deep and persistent problem throughout the country; the nation-wide affordable housing crisis is costly to individuals, communities, the economy, and the government. Federal housing
and homelessness investments – adjusted for inflation and population growth – have been shrinking over the past two decades; and, while the federal government announces short-term initiatives from time
to time, Canada still doesn't have a comprehensive, fully-funded and integrated national housing strategy.
From the Executive Summary...
This report demonstrates the link between the improvement of precarious
housing and better population health (which leads to reduced health
inequities). It also provides a strong vision for a national housing plan
for rectifying the problem of precarious housing, which we hope will
provide the framework for continued serious debate.Consequently, the
report is presented in two parts: Part I reviews precarious housing in
the national and international context, and part II addresses policy actions
toward a national housing plan.
This report is meant to address a wide range of issues fromwhich various
stakeholders (e.g.,governments,housing advocates,private and public
sector housing providers) can draw information and action points.
Part II of this report, Vision 2020: Toward a National Housing
Plan details how these goals can be achieved. Meeting these goals
and ensuring access to affordable, decent housing for all will make
an immense contribution not only to the immediate health conditions
and prospects of so many vulnerable people but also to the
overall health of Canadians.
Each year, more people — mostly men — are leaving Toronto jails with nowhere to call home and no plan or supports to keep them from heading back to jail [...] → More people released from jail face homelessness: Report, Jim Rankin, thestar.com (10.08.10)
Executive Summary...
Previous research has established that being homeless increases the likelihood of ending up in jail, while imprisonment increases the risk of homelessness and the length of time that
homeless people spend in shelters. The number of homeless prisoners in Toronto area jails is increasing. And a small, but growing, number of men are caught in a revolving door between
jails and shelters.
This report explores the housing situation of adult men serving sentences in Toronto area jails, focusing on those who are homeless. These prisoners‘ housing plans on discharge, as well
as their immediate and anticipated service needs in the months after release, are documented. Their residential locations are mapped in relation to selected neighbourhood characteristics.
The survey results are based on interviews with 363 sentenced prisoners who have spent a minimum of five consecutive nights in custody and who are within days of scheduled release from one
of four provincial correctional facilities in the Greater Toronto Area. [...]
Introduction...
Homelessness has become an entrenched problem in urban areas over the past several decades. Since the mid-1990s, senior governments have chosen to address homelessness among its citizens with
ad hoc project funding rather than a comprehensive program to develop social housing as in the past. The presumed efficiencies in such an approach require adequate, reliable information to best
target limited resources and to account for expenditures. Such information is frequently lacking.
The report addresses a particular knowledge gap; it explores the housing situation of men who are jailed in the Toronto area; their housing options and service needs on discharge,
with a focus on homeless prisoners; and maps their residential locations to compare the level of services in the neighbourhoods or areas where they live. The intention is to point to
where resources can be directed to minimize chronic or repeat homelessness within this population.
[...] By a momentous coincidence, spring 2010 is witness to the two most important legal initiatives to eliminate
homelessness that Canada has seen since the 1980s when the homelessness crisis began.
The first, Bill C-304, an act to
implement a national housing strategy, was adopted at committee on March 22, and may be voted on before Parliament breaks for the summer. Miraculously, the bill, first introduced by Vancouver
East NDP MP Libby Davies, has received the support of the majority of Parliament. Though a Bloc Québécois amendment that would have allowed for an opt-out clause for Quebec was overruled, Quebec
housing advocates are hopeful that Bloc MPs will continue to support the bill. They point out that any national housing strategy developed after passage of the bill would, of course,
have to recognize Quebec's distinct status.
The second, a constitutional challenge on homelessness1, was launched May 26 at Ontario Superior Court in Toronto. Brought with the assistance of housing
advocates by a group of people who have been homeless, the challenge asks the court to recognize that homelessness is a violation of human rights. They argue
that homelessness violates two sections of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Section 7, which guarantees the right to "life, liberty, and security
of the person," and Section 15, which guarantees freedom from discrimination on the basis of race, disability, and other grounds. This will be a difficult
argument to refute. A recent national study2 by
University of Toronto professor of medicine Stephen Hwang shows conclusively that the mortality rate among people
who are homeless and precariously housed is significantly higher than that of people who are housed, even those with very low incomes. Research also confirms
that across Canada, aboriginal people and people with physical and mental disabilities are vastly over-represented among those who become homeless.
The success of either, or both, of these initiatives would usher in a new era in Canada, in which federal and provincial governments would be compelled both
to alter the policies that cause homelessness and to implement policies to prevent it. [...]
[...] Expert witnesses will testify that homelessness and inadequate housing harm people through reduced life expectancy and significant damage to physical, mental and emotional
health. In Canada, groups protected from discrimination by the Charter including women, single mothers, people with disabilities, Aboriginal people, racialized communities,
youth and seniors are disproportionately affected by homelessness and poor housing.
A computer rendering of the new sup- portive housing units to be built in Vancouver at 215 W. 2nd Avenue.
Click image to view more.
Credit: Vancouver Sun.
Premier Gordon Campbell has announced a $225-million program to build 1,006 new supportive housing units in Vancouver to deal with the city's chronic homelessness problem.
The province will provide $205 million for building the apartments on eight city-owned sites — worth $32 million — with the Streetohome Foundation providing $20 million. [...]
Six supportive housing projects are now under construction in Vancouver. The province is contributing $108 million to build 569 units on city-owned property worth $32 million. The first
of those suites should be ready for occupation next year.
Construction on the eight sites would begin later this year subject to municipal approval, said the premier. [...]
"Our study found that the need to assist the poor and homeless is more important now than ever before," said Commissioner William W. Francis, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army
in Canada and Bermuda "The public understands that there are numerous factors which lead to life on the streets, and the public believes that more can be done for the poor and homeless."
The new report, "Poverty shouldn't be a life sentence: a report on the perceptions of homelessness and poverty in Canada," surveyed a representative sample of Canadians to understand where
perceptions exist and realities emerge on homelessness and poverty. The results indicate that the public has a heightened awareness of poverty and homelessness, but still, these two problems
continue to grow. In 2009, The Salvation Army helped more than one million people by providing food, clothing and other practical assistance. Demand for these services increased by more than
25 percent in one year. Locally, The Salvation Army has seen increases in shelter bed occupancy and stay rates.
"The increase shows us just how much the economic recession has exacerbated long-existing problems in Canada," said Commissioner Francis. "The Salvation Army is leading the fight against
homelessness and poverty as Canada's largest nongovernmental provider of social services."
The public believes that homelessness and poverty are two of the most pressing issues in Canada today. Nearly two-thirds of all respondents ranked poverty, homelessness and related issues as
the most pressing social problems in Canada. [...]
According to the newly released results from the 2009 Street Needs Assessment, an estimated 400 people were living on Toronto's streets in 2009, less than half of the 2006
estimate of 818. In total, an estimated 5,086 people were homeless on the night April 15, 2009, slightly up from the 2006 estimate of 5,052.
While overall homelessness remained fairly stable, there was an increase in the number of youth and families staying in the City's emergency shelters. Most of the growth in
family use of shelters is the result of far more refugees settling in Toronto with no access to appropriate housing. Family shelter use in Toronto is largely determined by
geopolitical circumstances and federal immigration policy.
Aboriginal people continue to be overrepresented in the homeless population, but fewer are sleeping outside. On average, those living outdoors remain homeless longest. [...]
Framing and spin?
As indicated at left, the methodology of this assessment is controversial. Point-in-time assessments may provide little more than a sampling of homeless numbers, rather than a meaningful
estimate of the demographic. They are subject to a host of variables which make problematic the derivation of hard results. The framing of conclusions may become exercises in spin. From the report
(pages 11-12), consider these "Limitations":
[W]ith any survey of homeless individuals, a decision must be made about how to
define homelessness for the purpose of the study. The Street Needs Assessment
included those individuals who were absolutely homeless – those sleeping in public
spaces, emergency shelters, Violence Against Women (VAW) shelters, hospitals,
treatment facilities or correctional facilities – but did not include the ‘hidden' homeless.
As well, this was a survey of homeless individuals in public spaces, or those who could
be readily observed, for example those camped out in an ATM vestibule, and did not
therefore include people on private property, such as those staying in garages, in cars
on private lots, or hidden behind private businesses.
As this was a point-in-time survey, individuals had the possibility to be surveyed if they
were encountered by a study team outdoors at a particular point in time when the study
team was surveying that area. However, if the homeless individual was moving
throughout the area, or arrived in the study area after the study team had gone
through, then they may not have been included in the survey.
It is also important to note that point prevalence counts reflect the number of homeless
at one specific point in time. From available shelter statistics, we know that the
homeless population is not a static group and that many individuals may experience
homelessness over the course of a year. While there may be 4,000 people staying in
Toronto shelters on any given night, over the course of a year more than 27,000
different individuals will use the shelter system. The number generated by a point
prevalence survey then, is a reflection of the number of homeless on a given night;
there is a much larger proportion of the population who experience homelessness in any
given year than the number at one point in time would indicate, as people move into
and out of homelessness. [...]
The point-in-time assessment is an insufficient predicate for evidence-based judgments as to the efficacy of initiatives to remediate homelessness. From those homeless who participate in the exercise, however, useful insight might be gained as to their use of and need for City services.
Toronto's latest street needs assessment (released today)
shows that the number of street homeless has dropped by half, while the number of sheltered homeless has risen. The methodology behind the count is controversial,
as the Wellesley Institute has noted. There are plenty of more reliable studies of the real needs of people who are homeless or precariously
housed. The latest assessment ignores the single biggest component of the homeless population - the hidden homeless (couch-surfers). Toronto's affordable housing waiting list
is at an all-time high, and the number of people housed in March of 2010 is way down from last year. The Street Health Report, supported
by the Wellesley Institute, provides a detailed review of the health status of people who are homeless.
One year pretty much to the day after it was taken, the city's $118,988 homeless street count reports that the number of street people has declined in
the past three years by 51% from 818 to 400.
What the long-awaited 41-page results report does not say, however, is that it took at least $30 million in city funds and what has become a virtual army of 70
social workers — under Mayor David Miller's Streets to Homes initiative — to get those 400 hard core homeless folk off the city's heating grates and sidewalks. [...]
In addition to claims in the report that the number of homeless found outdoors dropped by half between April 2006 and April 2009, the latest street count found that the total
number of homeless individuals in shelters and on the streets declined 1.7% from 4,467 in 2006 to 4,390 in 2009.
Phil Brown, general manager of shelter, support and housing contended that given the changing economic circumstances in Toronto, 1.7% is "pretty good."
He said the 51% decrease is "very encouraging" and "significant".
"We didn't have a target going into the (Streets to Homes) program ... but (it's) very encouraging," Brown said.
But when I suggested to him that spending $30 million to get 400 homeless off the streets is hardly what I'd call successful, Brown bristled at my numbers, calling them "a bogus piece of math."
He said the street count is simply a "point in time" estimate which is different from the annual numbers of people served. [...]
SAMHSA's Homelessness Resource Center (HRC) announces the release of a special issue of the Open Health Services and Policy Journal on "The Future of Homeless Services".
Guest edited by the Homelessness Resource Center, the special issue describes the services and supports needed to help individuals and families exit homelessness and
maintain housing. (3.10)
As the number of teens turning to shelters continues to grow, the Calgary Homeless Foundation is working on the country's first plan dedicated to ending youth homelessness.
The blueprint, which would become part of Calgary's overall 10-year plan to end homelessness, will focus on ways to help youths between the ages of 12 and 24.
"We recognize that there are some very specific needs and we want to respond to those needs with a bit more emphasis than our original plan to end homelessness," said Tim Richter,
president of the Calgary Homeless Foundation, which oversees the local plan.
"It's a plan within a plan." Officials from the foundation will work with the United Way and local service agencies dealing with homeless youths to develop the plan over
the coming months, he said.
The paper, released in May 2009, called on the province's Children and Youth Services Department to develop a strategy to specifically address youth homelessness.
It was supposed to be considered as part of a provincial review into youth homelessness, which was due to issue a report on its findings last fall.
But the report has never been released publicly and no strategy has been developed.
Children and Youth Services Minister Yvonne Fritz said she has yet to see the final report from the provincial review, but she commended the Calgary Homeless Foundation's
efforts to start addressing the issue in Calgary. [...] [Read More]
And at the same time...
Following record-setting gold medal haul at Games, millions allocated for summer and winter athletes
[...] It appears Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative government had their eyes opened wide by Team Canada's 14 gold medals and the outpouring of support
as they announced Thursday they are doubling their annual contribution to Own the Podium for winter sports to $22 million.
"We had destiny in our hands with these Games and we made our own destiny," said Marcel Aubut, incoming Canadian Olympic Committee president.
Less than a week after Sports Minister Gary Lunn seemed to be telling media outlets there would be no new money in the budget for Olympic sport, Finance Minister Jim
Flaherty had a section entitled "Going for Gold" in the budget that delivered pretty much what sports officials had been seeking.
Own the Podium's program for the Summer Olympics is getting an increase of $6 million to $36 million annually, while an additional $10 million over two years is
being invested in the identification and development of elite athletes. [...]
[...]
Who loses? Workers, pensioners, families, the homeless, and the environment.
The budget has no strategy for job creation for the 1.5 million Canadians looking for work. There are training dollars, but no new quality jobs to go to when the training is
completed, and no extensions for EI to help people through the recession. Moreover, all workers and employers are going to be hit with a payroll tax on EI, to help pay for
those corporate tax breaks.
Seniors lose with nothing to enhance pensions, which the NDP has been calling for. As little as $700 million to increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement would end poverty
among seniors, but this budget has chosen profits for banks over meeting social needs.
Changes to the Universal Child Care Benefit will give single parents only $3.35 more per week, without creating a single daycare space. $10 million for action on missing and
murdered women has been a long-time coming, but as Grand Chief Stewart Phillip noted, that money should be going to Native women's groups who have been at the front line of
this issue for years.
What stood out most for me is that for two budgets in a row, there is no new investment in housing and homelessness. The Homelessness Partnering Strategy won't be renewed
after 2011 and, as Michael Shapcott pointed out, although there are still stimulus dollars left, those who need it the most will see nothing.
Almost two million Canadians live in housing insecurity, with 200,000 homeless. The cost of housing in Vancouver has pushed housing affordability to crisis levels. I'm worried
about the consequences of ignoring this issue and am pushing for my bill for a national housing strategy (Bill C-304) to pass through Parliament this spring. [...]
Activists in Vancouver are threatening to hand out red tents to street people in the hope of attracting international attention to the problem of homelessness in the
city during the Olympics and forcing the federal government to come up with a housing strategy. The Pivot Legal Society said Monday it was ready to distribute 500 of
the bright red tents emblazoned with slogans like "Housing is a Right" and "End Homelessness Now!" The goal is to convince federal authorities to establish a national
housing strategy [...]
Pivot Legal Society, the Citywide Housing Coalition and other partners announced the launch of their Olympic red
tent campaign today, calling on the federal government to fund a national housing strategy to end homelessness and ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing
for all persons living in Canada.
Source:RedTents.org
Red Tent Campaign website. Emphasis added.
Red Tent is national campaign that invites the participation of all persons and organizations wishing to end homelessness in Canada.
Our goal is to persuade the federal government to enact a funded National Housing Strategy that will end homelessness and ensure secure, adequate,
accessible and affordable housing for all persons living in Canada.
Our strategy is to use red tents and like items as symbols on the streets and in the media to draw attention to Canada's homelessness crisis, educate the
public about the need for a funded national housing strategy and mobilize people across the country to pressure government to take action on homelessness. [...]
Pivot Legal Society today [25 January 2010] sent a letter to City Council urging Councillors
to set guidelines around the enforcement of City bylaws that might displace homeless people during the Olympic, in light of the recent BC Court of Appeal decision in
Victoria (City) v. Adams.
In December 2006, The French anti-poverty organization Children of Don Quixote, began using Red tents as a symbol to
draw attention to the plight of the homeless in Paris. The organization launched the campaign to coincide with a French national election. The tents were used as a visual
reminder that there were over 100,000 people who were homeless in France and that shelter did not have adequate space available for all those in need and
that shelters are not a substitute for long-term housing.
In the months leading up to the protest, Children of Don Quixote founder Augustin Legrand spent time seeking out and interviewing those who were living
outdoors without proper shelter. The stories he collected were posted to The Children of Don Quixote website and people who read them or watched videos
of interviews were encouraged to join the protest. Many Parisians did. Over 200 red tents lined the Canal Saint Martin for three months and during this
time many other cities in France saw similar protests take place.
The campaign gained widespread public support and homelessness became an election issue that political leaders were forced to address. [...]
As housing prices soared, social housing went unbuilt for years. As a result, shelter is hot politics in Vancouver.
[...] The growth of homelessness in B.C. has been driven by a variety of factors.
Gentrification has been a leading cause. In Vancouver, for
example, hundreds of residential hotel rooms have been lost to redevelopment. The
low-end accommodations that remain have doubled in price, and now cost much more than the province pays welfare recipients. As a result, many of B.C.'s most
vulnerable -- those suffering from mental illness, addiction or other disabilities -- have been driven into the streets.
Cities in the United Kingdom and the United States have successfully reduced homelessness through a "housing first"
approach, where homeless individuals are moved from the streets into low-barrier supportive housing. The advantages of this proven approach are two-fold: First, people who live indoors seek
treatment sooner and achieve better long-term outcomes than those who shuffle in and bounce out of inpatient treatment centres; second, people who live indoors use far less police,
ambulance and health services than the homeless do, meaning that it costs taxpayers less to house them than to keep them homeless.
But unlike federal governments in the U.K., U.S. and Europe, the Canadian federal government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper has steadfastly refused
to fund housing first solutions, in much the same way it has repeatedly tried to shut down
Vancouver's safe-injection site. [...] [Read More]
[...] Organizers from both actions [the Impact on Communities Coalition (IOCC) "Right to the City: Rally for a national housing program" and the Pivot Legal Society "Red Tent" campaign] claim that a comprehensive national housing strategy is necessary to combat homelessness within Canada. Currently, the country is the only member of the G8 that does not have such a strategy,
leaving jurisdiction to individual provinces and cities. Without national coordination, advocates claim, there is little accountability and even less coherence, with housing policies
shifting year-to-year, vulnerable to changing budgets and political maneuvering, and variable by location.
This has not always been the case, however. Prior to 1993, Canada was considered to have one of the best housing policies in the world, with approximately 800 new social housing units
built in Vancouver annually. But massive budget cuts at the national, provincial, and city level has resulted in the UN calling the country's homelessness situation "a crisis."
Critics point to the Winter Olympics as demonstrative of skewed spending and misplaced priorities. "We want to see the social, the economic, priority of homelessness and housing," said
rally speaker Libby Davies, NDP Member of Parliament for Vancouver East. Advocates claim that instituting more social housing is actually cost effective: a 2007 study by the government
of British Columbia showed that $55,000 was spent on a non-housed person annually, compared with $37,000 for each person with a roof over their head.
Pivot's red tents are meant to create more awareness about the issue. Says Reilly Yeo, Social Media coordinator for the campaign, "most Canadians are not aware of how desperate the
housing situation is." Davies added at today's rally, "we want to say to [Olympic] visitors...please notice what is going on, the reality...Speak out and be one with us in solidarity
to say homelessness should not exist in a wealthy country like Canada." [...]
905 affluence masks a sub-culture of life on the streets
[...] In York, one of the most prosperous regions in the province, there's nowhere to live if you are poor. When couch surfing isn't available and shelters seem too dangerous,
the homeless are sleeping in ravines, in houses under construction, in used clothing boxes and on top of strip malls, says Tanya Shute, executive director of the Krasman Centre,
the region's only adult drop-in for those struggling with homelessness or mental health issues.
"It's not as visible here as it is in Toronto but I hazard to guess that what you see is only the tip of the iceberg," she says.
But many of those living in the 905 refuse to open their eyes. "We have much more of a bubble mentality, with SUVs and ideas of privilege, in the suburbs," Shute contends.
York region has the lowest proportion of rental housing in the GTA and some of the highest rents. There are 6,000 households on their list for affordable housing -- up 1,000 from
last year -- and the wait for singles is more than 20 years long.
For those who become homeless, York has four emergency hostels which housed 2,055 people in 2007. But the region's nine municipalities have no shelter for single homeless women.
"That's how blind we are," marvels Shute.
In Durham, 1,407 people sought emergency shelter in 2008, including 181 children. More than 4,000 households are on their affordable housing list with singles waiting the longest
for the few available units, says Mary Menzies, the region's director of housing services.
"Single people are using a lot of our shelters," she says, "because we don't have a housing supply to meet their needs. Most of the rental one-bedrooms are not affordable, especially
for anybody on EI (unemployment) or working minimum-wage jobs."
The good news, she says, is that fewer families are becoming homeless because they're using provincial programs such as Rent Bank and Emergency Energy Fund assistance to help
pay off rent or utilities arrears.
In downtown Oshawa, though, the need has never been greater. Marten Van Harmelen's Gate 3:16 outreach centre on Simcoe St. has been serving the homeless for 20 years and now helps
up to 100 people a day. "We started off small and over the years we have grown tremendously," says Van Harmelen, also a member of Durham's advisory committee on the homeless. [...]
Half of Street Youth Driven Into Homelessness Prevention, early intervention critical
TORONTO – Almost half of Toronto's street youth don't want to be homeless – getting help for them early would make a big difference, says a groundbreaking study of Toronto
street-involved youth.
Changing Patterns for Street Involved Youth, released jointly by Yonge Street Mission, World Vision Canada and Public Interest, reflects interviews with 208 youth who came
from all over Canada and found themselves homeless in Toronto.
"Many youth tell us they just want a home – they're highly motivated but they need help getting there," says Karen Bach of the Yonge Street Mission. "The more we can intervene
to help youth back into housing the less likely they will be to stay on the streets for years at a time."
Among the study's most striking findings:
Almost one in five youth have been on the street for less than three months and this period is the most effective time to help them return to housing.
Youth who stay on the street for two years are less likely to leave – making an intervention within the first two years key to resolving the problem.
Most youth who stay on the streets for as long as eight years end up trapped because it's all they know and it becomes part of their identity.
Immigrant street youth transition back into housing more rapidly.
Sweet 16 isn't so sweet for some: More youth (21%) end up on the street at 16 than at any other age, possibly because that's the age it becomes legal.
One in four youth leave home before the legal age. The younger they are, the more likely their stay on the street will last longer – seven years or more.
Almost a third of the street youth interviewed came from other provinces; 14.6% came from other part[s] of Ontario; only 22.7% were from the GTA.
Over 40% of street youth experience mental health issues but few are able to access mental health services.
And See:Itinérance: agissons ensemble
Rapport de la Commission de la santé et des services sociaux sur l'itinérance au Québec, Assemblée nationale du Québec, Parliamentary Proceedings (November 2009)
MONTREAL – The Quebec government Monday announced $14 million of what Lise Thériault, minister delegated to social services, called "fresh money" over the next three
years to assist the estimated 30,000 or more street people across the province.
It was the government's first response to a sweeping series of recommendations unveiled Nov. 4 by a multi-party Quebec parliamentary commission on homelessness.
Thériault said the Société d'habitation du Québec will also reserve 300 housing units for the homeless – or those at risk of losing the existing roofs over their heads – as
part of a new social-housing plan which remains under development.
The allocation of that number of such small units carries a price tag of $60.5 million, she said.
She said another 150 similar units are also planned, for construction over the same timespan.
However, when asked for details, Thériault responded that their location across the province and various other elements have yet to be finalized.
A comprehensive and detailed survey to pin down the number of street people in Quebec will take two years to complete, and should be ready by the fall of 2011, department officials said.
The last such survey covered only Montreal and Quebec City – and dates back to 1998.
"Nobody can remain insensitive to the phenomenon of homelessness," Thériault told reporters at a news conference. [...]
What causes homelessness? Can we predict who will be vulnerable?
A team of experts from the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work has developed a unique screening tool to determine the likelihood of homelessness for vulnerable populations. The
research was funded by the Calgary Homeless Foundation.
As the first-ever screening tool to examine pre-homelessness, the Homeless Asset and Risk Tool (HART) will be unveiled today at a public symposium.
Currently awaiting funding confirmation from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, HART will be piloted in this city in 2010. Researchers from the Faculty of Social Work
will follow 750 individuals in Calgary over the course of the year to predict which of them are most at-risk of homelessness. [...]
Calgary researchers have developed a short list of questions that could identify people at risk before they lose their homes.
Touted as a "first-ever screening tool," the Homeless Asset and Risk Tool (HART) asks 20 questions such as:
Have you had trouble paying for housing based on your income?
Have you had trouble with landlords?
Have family members shown concern for your mental health?
Do you have substance abuse issues?
"The ultimate goal is to provide them resources, services, to prevent them form going down that road to homelessness, which is a pretty bitter trail," said
Leslie Tutty, a social work professor at the University of Calgary, on Friday. [...]
The City of Victoria has lost its appeal of a 2008 court
ruling that struck down the city's
anti-camping bylaws while the number of people who are homeless exceeds the number of available shelter beds.
"The court has made it clear they are going to take the rights of homeless
people, the most marginalized people in the city, seriously," said Catherine
Boies Parker, a lawyer who along with Irene Faulkner represented a group of
people who were forced out of a tent city set up in a city park in 2005.
"We hope now the city will sit down with everyone and try to come up with a
reasonable accommodation," she said, noting that it's rare for cases involving
the rights of people who are homeless or living in poverty to be heard in
court.
A message to a city spokesperson was not returned by publication time.
Madam Justice Risa Levine, Madam Justice Kathryn Neilson and Justice Harvey
Groberman ruled that Madam Justice Carol Ross who heard the
original case in the Supreme Court of B.C. was correct in her ruling and did not
intrude improperly on the policy decisions of elected officials.
"We agree with the trial judge that prohibiting the homeless from taking
simple measures to protect themselves through the creation or utilization of
rudimentary forms of overhead protection, in circumstances where there is no
practicable shelter alternative, is a significant interference with their
dignity and independence," the appeal court justices wrote.
Boies Parker said the ruling will make it harder for governments to pass
similar laws in the future without taking the dignity of the people they affect
into consideration.
The appeal judges also ruled that the city would have to pay the costs Boies
Parker and Faulkner incurred to fight the appeal. This is on top of the $200,000
the court required the city to pay for them to fight the original case, plus the
city's own costs.
Since the original ruling the city has adjusted its bylaws to allow overnight
camping but requires tents to be removed during the daytime. The appeal is
silent on the constitutionality of the new bylaws, but Boies Parker said she
expects they will also be struck down if and when they are tested in
court.
[...] Housing and homelessness
The Committee's study of housing and homelessness focussed on these as separate policy areas, as many federal programs in particular separate the two. During our research,
hearings and site visits, the Committee learned of important and exciting initiatives at the local and provincial levels, and how local and provincial governments, as well
as private-sector and voluntary-sector developers, are sometimes constrained by regulations, time-frames, and declining operating support from the federal government.
As well, it has become clear to the Committee that a more integrated consideration of both housing and homelessness offers a better chance of implementing a "housing first"
approach. With this approach, individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness are stabilized with affordable housing, offering a base from which any other complicating factors
in their lives can be addressed.
Further, the Committee is aware that unaffordable and inadequate housing, even for those who are currently able to meet their needs and aspirations, can contribute to poverty, and
to a spiral that can include losing jobs, dropping out of school, and being unable to sustain families.
Not all solutions address both the needs of those who are currently homeless and the importance of a housing "system" that supplies affordable and adequate housing to those
who are currently housed.
With respect to housing, the Committee recommends that the federal government:
provide sustained and adequate funding through the Affordable Housing Initiative to increase the supply of affordable housing [Recommendation 37];
issue a White paper on tax measures to support construction of rental housing in general and affordable rental housing
in particular, including for the donation of funds, lands or buildings for low-income housing provision [Recommendation 38];
clarify the mandate of Canada Lands Corporation to favour use of surplus federal lands for development of affordable housing and to expedite planning processes
to facilitate this use [Recommendation 39];
support the work of local and provincial non-profit housing developers by making housing programs longer term to accommodate five-year development cycles and ten-year planning cycles, and
to permit more effective planning at the local and provincial levels [Recommendation 40];
identify civil legal aid as an element to be supported by the Canada Social Transfer to assist tenants facing discrimination in housing [Recommendation 41];
extend the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program as a permanent program, increase the budget allocations for this program, and amend eligibility requirements to take
into account differential costs for repairs in different communities across Canada, and projects converting housing units for affordable rental accommodation [Recommendation 42]; and
work with provincial housing authorities, private landlords' associations and non-profit housing providers, to assess impact of housing subsidies provided to individuals rather
than landlords on rents [Recommendation 43].
With respect to homelessness, the Committee has heard of the effectiveness of the Homelessness Partnering Strategies and its predecessor programs in supporting communities
to reduce homelessness and to move people from the streets into housing. The Committee recommends that the federal government:
expand the Homelessness Partnering Strategy to play a greater coordinating role within the federal government, engaging all departments and agencies with a mandate that
includes housing and homelessness, especially for those groups over-represented among those in need [Recommendation 47];
provide financial incentives to encourage communities already supported through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy to use a 10-year time horizon in adjusting and
renewing their community plans [Recommendation 48]; and
continue to provide direct funding for and continued support of related research and knowledge dissemination about a "housing first" approach to eliminating homelessness
[Recommendation 49].
With respect to an integrated approach to housing and homelessness, the Committee recommends that the federal government:
in collaboration with provincial governments, representatives of municipal governments, First Nation organizations, and other housing providers,
develop a national housing and homelessness strategy to include:
priorities established by and for each provincial and territory with respect to meeting existing needs for affordable and secure housing;
a 10-year commitment of funds from the federal government, to include similar commitments from provincial and territorial governments that will receive these funds;
annual reporting on how the money is being spent, with particular attention to the number of people housed who could not afford to secure housing in the private market;
a specific focus, with targets and funding commitments, with respect to meeting the needs for affordable housing for urban Aboriginal peoples;
a simpler, more integrated application process for funds, cutting across programs related to housing funded at the federal level;
the integration of the Homelessness Partnering Initiative, with an expanded mandate and budget to support combined local housing and homelessness plans and the initiatives identified in them;
a thorough evaluation at the end of the 10-year period to assess achievements and continuing gaps [Recommendation 44]; and
sustain federal funding focussed on homelessness until a combined strategy on housing and homelessness is developed to guide federal investment [Recommendation 45].
Rehousing Triage and Assessment Survey: A Step in Ending Homelessness
This housing action toolkit received funding from the Homelessness Partnering Secretariat, Human Resources and Skills
Development Canada (HRSDC). It was developed by the Calgary Homeless Foundation to help agencies and community
groups take action in ending homelessness in their communities.
This toolkit will show you how to use the Rehousing Triage and Assessment Survey (RTAS). The RTAS is a survey that can
be used to assess the health and vulnerability of homeless people in your community. It will help you to prioritize and match
resources with client needs, by making sure that the supports and housing available in your communities are being accessed
by those who need them the most.
Ending homelessness in your community has many benefits, and community initiatives to end homelessness can be very
successful when innovative and research based tools are used to help you.
This toolkit is user friendly, adaptable to many settings and contexts and has been developed using research and best
practices to ensure its value as an action tool for ending homelessness. The information in this toolkit can be used by community
based service providers, government departments, funders, researchers or any organization interested in ending
homelessness.
Homelessness can happen to anyone. The biggest trigger is
people losing jobs leaving them unable to buy food and pay rent. 300,000 of
Canada's working poor live pay cheque to pay cheque.
Ci's Homeless in Canada report shows that quick response to
homelessness with safe housing reduces the costs we all bear.
157,000 are estimated to be homeless in Canada in 2008.
Of the 32,000 chronically homeless who have lived on the streets for more
than one year, the average life expectancy is 39 years.
Canadian tax payers spend at least $1.3 billion providing services to the
homeless.
Solutions exist that are more effective and cheaper; a new innovative
"housing first" approach has an 88% success rate in housing the chronically
homeless and costs 17% less than current programs.
Donors can make a difference by supporting charities working with the homeless:
Food banks are the first-line of defence stopping those in crisis from
becoming homeless.
Shelters for the homeless which provide access to basic necessities, medical
services and crisis intervention.
Charities that provide housing, emphasizing dignity, community and recovery
opportunities, have top results in intervening with our chronically
homeless.
Study will investigate 'Housing First' approach
TORONTO, November 23, 2009 – The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) has implemented a ground‐breaking
national research project in five cities to find the best way to provide housing and services to people who are living with
mental illness and homelessness. Using a 'Housing First' approach, the research project focuses on first providing people
who are homeless with a place to live, and then the other assistance and services they require. The goal is to see if this
approach is better than traditional 'care as usual.'
A total of 2,285 people who are homeless and living with a mental illness will participate in the study. Of these, 1,325
participants in the research project will be given a place to live and offered a range of housing, health and social support
services over the course of the research initiative. These supports include help with maintaining a home, undertaking
routine tasks like shopping or getting to a doctor's appointment or securing opportunities for education, volunteering and
employment. The rest of the participants will receive the services that are currently available in the five test sites. Both
groups will be compared to see which approach works best.
"The study will produce evidence on whether providing a place, plus services, will better support reintegration into
functional, meaningful living," said Dr. Jayne Barker, Director, At Home/Chez Soi Project. "Another research question is
cost. Will it cost less to house and provide services than it would if these marginalized individuals were in hospitals,
prisons and shelters?" said Dr. Paula Goering, Research Lead, At Home/Chez Soi Project.
The At Home/ Chez Soi project is the largest of its kind in Canada. The research will help make Canada a world leader in
providing better services to people living with homelessness and mental illness. Each test site will focus on a specific
target population within the overall study group. [...]
November 10, 2009 - In an opinion published on November 10, 2009, the Commission urges the city of Montreal to repeal two by-laws that target the homeless. It also calls on
the Montreal police (Service de police de la Ville de Montréal) to change its institutional standards and policies that have a discriminatory impact on street people.
Providing examples and statistics, the Commission's opinion concludes that the social profiling of Montréal's homeless is discriminatory and contravenes the Quebec Charter of Human
Rights and Freedoms. Moreover, in the view of the Commission, the excessive use of the courts to deal with the homeless is the result of targeted police practices aimed at removing
them from the public space, rather than a neutral and impartial enforcement of the law.
The Commission makes 14 recommendations to different levels of government and to the Montréal police, and outlines detailed proposals for a policy on homelessness.
The Judiciarization of the Homeless in Montréal: A Case of Social Profiling
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION
THAT the institutional standards and policies of the SPVM to combat uncivil behaviour be amended
to remove any element that targets and stigmatizes the homeless.
THAT the use of repressive methods by the SPVM against the homeless be based, not on a
perception that their presence might be disturbing or threatening, but on neutral behavioural criteria
applicable to all citizens, such as the degree of nuisance or danger created by the behaviour.
THAT training on the social causes of homelessness and the risk of being profiled facing the
homeless be provided for police officers employed by the City of Montréal.
THAT each municipality and borough, as well as the provincial government, review all the regulatory
and legislative provisions that punish behaviour in public spaces to ensure that they identify a specific
nuisance and that the provision is justified. In addition, the Commission recommends that the
enforcement of by-laws that are not consistent with the Charter be suspended until amended or
repealed by the relevant authority.
THAT the by-law enacted by the Ville-Marie borough to close the last remaining 15 parks that were
still open at night be repealed.
THAT the provision of the By-law concerning dog and animal control introduced by the Ville-Marie
borough to specifically ban dogs from Émilie–Gamelin park and Viger square be repealed.
THAT the Code of Penal Procedure be amended to eliminate the discriminatory impact, especially on
the homeless, of the current provisions imposing a prison sentence for unpaid fines.
THAT the State strengthens the economic and social rights set out in the Charter at the earliest
opportunity to protect the rights of the most vulnerable people in society, and in particular the rights of
the homeless.
THAT a policy on homelessness be introduced to ensure that the State, its representatives and its
service providers formally launch a joint and planned action to allocate targeted resources with
priority given to the homeless.
THAT as part of the policy on homelessness, the government:
Implements concrete measures to improve coordination between the stakeholders dealing with
the homeless, thereby ensuring continuity of services and a better harmonization of the various
categories of intervention;
Strengthens and enhances existing measures to reach the homeless with mental health or
addiction problems wherever they are, to ensure that they benefit from appropriate support and
medical supervision from the health and social services network;
Strengthens and increase the resources allocated to allow the homeless to benefit from
personalized, long-term therapeutic supervision;
Strengthens existing measures and programs supporting the social reintegration of young people
leaving youth centres, especially when enrolled in education or seeking employment;
Strengthens and enhances measures and programs to support the homeless or individuals at risk
of homelessness when enrolled in educational or vocational integration programs;
Uses the Market Basket Measure (MBM) to set the level of financial support for poor individuals
provided by social assistance and social solidarity programs.
THAT the State give priority to a preventive and proactive approach to homelessness, in
particular by providing sufficient and adequate housing for the homeless or individuals at risk of
homelessness, if they so desire.
THAT the government increase and make recurrent the funding provided for new social housing
projects through the various programs administered by the Société d'habitation du Québec;
THAT the government increase the budget of $5 million allocated to the Cadre de référence sur
le soutien communautaire en logement social to match the dollar estimates made by its partners
in the social and community housing sector.
THAT the government provide stable and recurrent funding for the Cadre de référence sur le
soutien communautaire en logement social, adjusted annually to reflect the actual needs of the
public and private organizations offering community support for social housing.
p.9
[...] The recommendations below are discussed and supported throughout this paper. They focus on three key
aspects of an effective response to youth homelessness: prevention, emergency response, and transitions
out of homelessness. They are based on the premise that youth-serving agencies and their communitybased
partners in government, private and non-profit sectors know what works best in their communities
across the country; and that stability and long-term employment are proven positive factors in helping
young people move away from the street.
Recommendations
Existing funding: Secure, long-term and flexible funding to enable successful programs for streetinvolved
youth to continue to develop and grow;
Access to services: 'One-stop' barrier-free access to services for street-involved youth within their
home community;
Education: More educational opportunities/grant programs for street-involved youth and increased
programs that target early school leavers;
Employment: Increased job training and employment opportunities for street-involved youth, in
particular graduates of agency programs;
Housing: A national housing strategy that includes a continuum of housing specifically for streetinvolved
youth, e.g., youth shelters, transitional housing, co-op housing, safe and affordable housing,
as well as supportive housing for youth leaving child protection, foster care and group homes;
Mentorship: Increased mentorship support aimed at street-involved youth to build self-esteem and
develop life skills;
Government leadership: Leadership and collaboration among federal, provincial, territorial and
municipal governments in developing a Canada-wide plan to address youth homelessness;
Private sector engagement: Development of a supportive framework to encourage the private
sector to participate in creative solutions to youth homelessness e.g., skills training, employment
opportunities, development of supportive work environment;
Government policy: Development of distinct policies around youth homelessness to address the
unique needs of this population.
This document further outlines many of the elements that would comprise a plan to address youth
homelessness, with a suggested Community Checklist tool (page 30) that will help communities to assess
local needs and priorities within a national framework.
BC's Homeless Action Week ends this weekend. Unfortunately, homelessness itself will not. Here's a quick review of the facts that British Columbians live with every day.
10,000-15,000 homeless in BC
No province-wide homeless count has ever been conducted. So researchers have cobbled together province-wide estimates. In late 2007, a researcher working for the New Democratic
Party solicited numbers from every homeless shelter in the province, then compiled those figures to reach a province-wide total of 10,000 homeless. In early 2008, team of independent
academic researchers working with the Centre For Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction (CARMHA) at Simon Fraser University released a study pegging the province-wide total
at 15,000 homeless. Anecdotal interviews with shelter operators and outreach workers suggest that B.C.'s homeless population grew larger between 2007 and 2009.
To put those figures in context, consider this: If there are 10,000 homeless in B.C., that's more homeless than the total population of Whistler. Or, put another way, that's two homeless
British Columbians for every athlete participating in the 2010 Winter Games.
$1 billion a year in taxes
Homeless individuals tend to be heavy users of police, ambulance, hospital and other emergency services. The Vancouver Police Department estimated that as many as a third of all its
emergency calls are related to untreated mental illness and/or addiction, much of which is rooted within that city's large homeless and under-housed population.
The aforementioned SFU study found that it costs at least $55,000 a year to service a homeless person on the streets. A more comprehensive estimate conducted for the Calgary Homeless
Foundation concluded that the total cost was $135,000 per person, per year.
(The cost of a unit of supportive housing, by comparison, is about $37,000 a year.)
To put those figures in context, consider this: If there are 10,000 homeless people in British Columbia, and if each costs taxpayers a median of $100,000 a year, then British
Columbia taxpayers are spending a billion dollars a year to maintain street homelessness. Put another way, for the past few years, B.C. taxpayers have probably spent more money
servicing the homeless than they spent preparing for the Olympics -- even after the Sea-to-Sky Highway, the Canada Line and the new Vancouver Convention Centre are considered.
Death every 12 days
A homeless person dies every 12 days in B.C., according to the BC Coroners Service.
The coroners service counted an average of 32 homeless deaths a year from 2006 through 2008. The average age at death was 45 year. The five leading causes of death among the homeless
were: Natural disease, drug poisoning, blunt injuries, hanging, and drowning.
For the purpose of these statistics, an individual was considered homeless if they were known to be living 'rough' or on the street, staying at an emergency shelter, or being provided
temporary (30 days or less) shelter by friends or family. Individuals in long-term shelters, residential drug or alcohol treatment facilities, or those staying with friends or family
on a long-term or indefinite basis, were excluded.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada is now implementing research
demonstration projects in mental health and homelessness across the
country.
The projects are being implemented in five different cities. They will look
at the Housing First model of intervention. A total of 2225 homeless people
living with a mental illness will participate. 1,325 Canadians from that group
will be given a place to live, and will be offered services to assist them over
the course of the initiative. The remaining participants will receive the
regular services that are available in the test sites.
Participants will have to pay a portion of their rent, and be visited at
least once a week by program staff. Participants will be able to choose housing
within a number of different sites in a given city, including apartments and
group homes.
Why Housing First?
The Housing First model is one approach to ending homelessness and helping
people with lived experience get back into community life. This approach has
produced positive results in other cities where it has been implemented. A
comparison between different Housing First approaches and "care as usual" is
being studied in all cities.
The overall goal is to provide evidence about what services and systems could
best help people across Canada who are living with a mental illness and are also
homeless. At the same time, the project will provide meaningful and practical
support for hundreds of vulnerable Canadians.
Data from this kind of extensive research does not currently exist in Canada.
The MHCC project is unique and the largest of its kind underway in the world
right now.
What is the focus?
Although the primary focus of the projects is mentally ill people who are
homeless, each of the sites will also have specific targets. [...] (Please
click on a city name to learn more about each site)
Moncton: one of Canada's fastest growing cities, with a shortage of services for Anglophones and Francophones.
Montreal: different mental health services provided to homeless people in Quebec.
Toronto: ethno-cultural diversity including new immigrants who are non-English speaking.
Vancouver: people who struggle with substance abuse and addictions.
The research projects will end in 2013, and will
collectively develop a body of evidence to help Canada become a world leader in
providing services to homeless people living with a mental illness.
Who is involved?
The project is being overseen by Dr. Jayne Barker, MHCC Director of Policy
and Research. The research lead is Dr. Paula Goering, head of the Health Systems
Research and Consulting Unit at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in
Toronto.
The Commission is working closely with provincial and municipal levels of
government, researchers, many local service providers (people who will
provide counselling, check-ups, etc.) and individuals who have experienced
homelessness and mental illness. [...]
A panel will review the child welfare system after recent homeless counts showed a growing number of young people among those with no roof over their head, Children's Services
Minister Janis Tarchuk said on Wednesday.
Homeless counts last fall in communities across Alberta uncovered the trend, said Tarchuk, who stressed that the bottom line is not to give up on any children.
"They are living on the streets, or couch surfing with friends, or accessing our youth shelters ... that trend is very very concerning," Tarchuk said.
The committee will determine how many spots are available for children who are wards of the province, and how many more are needed, she said.
The minister of housing will also be involved in helping to collaborate a response to this issue, Tarchuk said.
There is a gap between the number of wards of the province needing shelter and the number of spaces available for them, youth court worker Mark Cherrington said.
"I'm dealing with young people that are living in big drain culverts because there is no placements, and children's services are not willing, or not able to provide those resources,"
Cherrington said.
CBC News obtained numbers from the Edmonton region of children's services which show that two years ago there was a shortfall of more than 700 beds, and now that shortfall is over 800.
That means, the provincial government doesn't have a bed for one out of every four children in government care, in Edmonton. [...] [Read More]
As in the 2006 Count of Homeless Persons there is an increase in the number of homeless people in Edmonton. A total of 3079 people were counted in 2008. This reflects an
increase of 18% or 461 people in the total number of homeless counted.
The number of absolute homeless increased by almost 5% or 88 to 1862 and the number of sheltered homeless increased by approximately 44% or 373 to 1217;
In terms of gender, 2124 or (69%) of homeless individuals were observed to be male and 23%, or 702 were female. Of the remaining 253 or 8%, 245 were children and caregivers in
families whose gender was not observed. The relative proportion of the number of men to women is higher than the 2006 count results; in total, there was an increase of 304 males and 94 females;
The Count recorded a significant decrease in the number of turnaways in 2008. Only 52 people were turned away as compared to 256 in 2006. In addition, the number discharged with
no home to return to dropped to 72 from the previous count of 113. Turnaways are not included in the homeless tally. There were no turnaways from housing providers;
There was a significant increase in the number of families enumerated in 2008 as compared to 2006 (133 compared to 79). This represents an 87% increase (34) in the number of Absolute
Homeless Families; a 50% increase (20) in the number of Sheltered Homeless Families. This can be attributed to a number of factors including improvements in the survey forms, which
clarified the definition of dependants, caregivers, and their housing status, as well as an increase in the number of spaces available for women and children i.e. La Salle and Wings of Providence;
There are 125 children living on the street;
There was an increase in the number of shelter spaces available from 2006, of those available spaces, a large number are reserved for women and children, this is reflected in
the increase in the number of homeless families;
The vast majority of the 3079 total homeless figure is single aboriginal men between the ages of 31-54;
The numbers reflect an increase in the number of children, and seniors over 65 yrs of age living on the street.
Yellowknife is dealing with a much higher percentage of homeless people than other capital cities in Canada, according to a new report by the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition.
The coalition's 2008 report card on homelessness found that five per cent of the city's overall population, or 936 individuals, stayed in an emergency shelter at some point last year.
In most Canadian cities, that figure is around one per cent, said Lyda Fuller of the homelessness coalition.
"For example, in southern Canada, you have services to homeless people in outlying areas around the major centres," Fuller told CBC News in an interview Monday.
"Here, people tend to come into Yellowknife, because we do have most of the services, and so you see a collection of homelessness within the city."
The report also found that men are at a higher risk to become homeless, usually because the priority for housing is for women with children. [...] [Read More]
Click the image to downlaod the PDF from the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition (Spring 2009).
Toronto, ON May 5, 2009 – The Salvation Army has released a report with findings from a national study on homelessness in Canada. The report – "Poverty Shouldn't be a Life Sentence" -
is based on information from surveys of hundreds of homeless men living in Salvation Army shelter care between 2007-2008 and finds that factors such as employment, income, healthcare
and housing continue to adversely affect the marginalized throughout Canada.
These findings show that nearly 30 percent of homeless men are employed and nearly two-thirds receive money from some source of welfare or a job, yet many still find themselves within
the shelter care system. The findings conclude that a national housing strategy, which includes social services, like job training, health care and counseling, must be prioritized by
federal officials in order to end the cycle of poverty.
"Our study found that there's an immediate demand for affordable housing," said Commissioner William W. Francis, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in Canada and
Bermuda "But, housing by itself, will not solve homelessness. It's only through a strong foundation of social supports that homeless individuals can begin to transition out of poverty
and into permanent housing."
The report – "Poverty Shouldn't be a Life Sentence" - is the cornerstone of The Salvation Army's Red Shield Campaign, which officially begins today. Throughout the month of May, the
campaign will raise funds to support Salvation Army programs - particularly the more than 3.5 million people currently living in poverty. To spread public awareness, The Salvation
Army has released a debut documentary, "One Day of Hope," on its Web site: www.SalvationArmy.ca. The film, which was directed by Hubert Davis from Untitled Films, gives a day-in-the-life
look at the people and places that make up The Salvation Army's shelter services. In addition to the featured film, The Salvation Army's national advertising campaign, which spotlights
the issue of poverty in Canada under the tagline – "Poverty shouldn't be a life sentence" will be running during the month of May. [...] [Read More]
VICTORIA [5 March 2009] – Today, Auditor General John Doyle released his latest report, Homelessness: Clear Focus Needed – an audit to assess if government is providing adequate
leadership to reduce and prevent homelessness in British Columbia.
Doyle notes that ministries and other government agencies are coordinating efforts in a number of significant areas, but overall, the province does not have a clear
strategy for reducing homelessness. "Despite putting in place many best practice strategies and programs, government has not been successful in reducing homelessness," said Doyle.
"Given the complexity of the issue, reducing and preventing homelessness requires a long-term, coordinated effort by all levels of government. This starts with the province
taking a lead role and establishing a clear focus," said Doyle.
The report notes that government's goals and objectives are poorly defined, and that no overall target for homelessness has been identified. Doyle said, "When there are no
clear goals or performance targets, accountability for results is missing. How will we know we are successful if we have not identified success?" Also, a clear profile of BC's
homeless population has yet to be developed because Government does not have the information it needs to make effective decisions.
The Auditor General makes a number of recommendations to address homelessness in British Columbia including developing a comprehensive plan to address homelessness,
designating an agency to lead homeless initiatives and gathering better information about the homeless population.
VICTORIA -- Programs designed to house the province's most entrenched homeless population will be expanded this year, Premier Gordon Campbell promised yesterday.
With less than a year before the 2010 Winter Olympics bring the international spotlight to Vancouver, the government set out a new commitment in the Speech from the Throne to
combat poverty, drug addiction and mental-health issues in the country's most impoverished neighbourhood, the Downtown Eastside.
The speech, read by Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point, promised a new integrated, personalized homelessness intervention strategy and a new community safety strategy - initiatives
that will be combined with expanded social housing.
Asked later for details, Mr. Campbell said the plan is not exactly new but will expand on existing programs like Victoria's Assertive Community Treatment teams that
help find housing for the hardest-to-house.
Since the Victoria ACT teams started work a year ago, they have offered services to 152 clients - hardcore street people with repeated conflicts with the law - and today
131 people are still successfully housed.
The Premier said his government has marked progress in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, but added: "We have to keep on this problem."
The Throne Speech focused on the economy and job creation, as expected, warning that B.C. must brace for a recession. [...]
B.C. throne speech promises no cuts to health care, education CBC News (16.02.09)
The speech was a thick 39 pages, but slim on new policies, programs and services. Instead, Premier Gordon Campbell's government promised jobs, stability and confidence during difficult economic times but once again refused to increase the province's minimum wage, currently standing at $8 an hour.
That's what one Calgary study said it costs to support a chronically homeless person: This week a major report recommends how Edmonton should handle its own crisis
[...] The guy is real, a patient at the Boyle McCauley Health Centre, just north of the downtown core. An alcoholic with post-traumatic stress disorder,
he's been on the street for a couple of years, making him what experts call chronically homeless.
There are probably fewer than a thousand people like him in Edmonton. Yet according to a growing body of research, it's likely his group costs the city and province enormous
sums in medical and emergency services.
Because of the range of institutions and organizations in which they interact, it's hard to come up with an exact figure on how much is spent -- between ER visits, ambulance trips,
court appearances, remand stays and emergency shelters -- on the chronically homeless.
Still, based on anecdotal evidence here and studies done elsewhere, it's almost certain that number is in the tens, if not the hundreds, of millions of dollars every year.
That's tens of millions of dollars -- not to take them off the street, give them a home, or round-the-clock care -- just to keep them from getting much worse.
About a year ago, Calgary launched a 10-year plan to end homelessness. The Edmonton report to be released Thursday will likely adopt many of the key details of that plan.
As part of the background for the Calgary study, the city hired a forensic accountant to tally their current spending on homelessness.
The conservative estimate: about $320 million is spent on a homeless population of about 4,000 in a given year, according to Tim Richter, the president of the Calgary Homeless Foundation.
For the 1,200 chronic homeless, the cost was about $134,000 per person, per year, Richter said.
Those numbers are at the high end of a range from similar studies in U.S. and Canadian cities conducted over the past decade. But they're no anomaly.
The City of Ottawa hired Steve Pomeroy to investigate the costs of different responses to homelessness in 2007. As part of his work, he looked at the money spent on
the issue in cities across Canada.
"Having done this in about six or eight cities now, what I've found is that the relative patterns of cost are quite consistent," he said.
One oft-cited New York study Pomeroy mentioned in his work found homeless people with severe mental illness in that city used an average of $40,000 per person per year in emergency services.
[...] [Read the full article]
Just three days before it triggered an election, the federal government
quietly approved a five-year extension of Canada's national housing and
homelessness programs that were due to expire. But it has frozen the dollars
despite growing need, according to a backgrounder from Canada Mortgage and
Housing Corporation on Friday.
"On September 4, 2008, the Government of Canada decided to set aside funding
for housing and homelessness programs at $387.9 million per year for five years
to March 31, 2014," reported CMHC, the federal government's housing agency, on
September 19.
There is no breakdown on the funding. But the overall dollars haven't budged
much since the original programs were announced almost a decade ago, despite
growing national need and growing inflation (that has cut into the value of the
dollars). More details on federal housing and homelessness issues and the
federal election are in a special section on the Wellesley Institute web site. [...]
Elizabeth May Releases Green Party Platform (18.09.08)
[...] Among the proposals in its economic platform, Closing the Gap, the Green party pledges to introduce a Guaranteed Livable
Income, a national affordable housing program and more Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. funding for non-market housing, and
to build 20,000 new affordable housing units.
The guaranteed income plan, still in its concept stage, would replace assistance programs including welfare that "are highly
bureaucratic and shame-based," said Carr in between photo opportunities at the United We Can bottle depot on Carrall Street
and the Carnegie Centre at Main and Hastings.
The new social assistance program would be simple, require less bureaucracy and place more money into the pockets of people
who need it the most, Carr said. It would work like a negative income tax, decreasing slightly in proportion to a person's income.
Unlike welfare, she said, Canadians would be able to maintain some privacy over their financial choices.
"You wouldn't have to be eligible by applying for it, and in essence, having the welfare police constantly checking whether
you're working, or capable, or whether you need that extra pair of running shoes." [...]
The community court model is based on a concept called 'restorative justice' - similar to the communal problem-solving
aboriginal people have used for eons.
"The individuals in the downtown eastside are hurt and they need healing," Chief Leah George-Wilson from the Tsleil-Waututh
Nation told CTV. "The way for things to be made right for them is to have those services available."
The idea of community court is to take a problem-solving approach to crime. By dealing with the underlying health and social
problems that contribute to crime, the hope is chronic offenders can be rehabilitated effectively. The way community court
hopes to achieve this goal is to focus on integrated case management. Social housing and addictions counselors will be in
the court beside lawyers and sheriffs, with the public welcome to participate in what is hoped will be the speedy rehabilitation
of repeat offenders. [...]
VANCOUVER -- As many as 300 homeless people, largely from the Downtown Eastside, are to be moved off the streets and into
housing next summer as part of a project by the Mental Health Commission of Canada that will have the side effect of helping
clear the poverty stricken area before the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The Globe and Mail has learned that the three-year project is part of a five-city effort first announced in this year's
federal budget. There has never been any explicit link to the Olympics, which are expected to bring global attention to the
Vancouver region that includes Canada's poorest postal code.
But the timing of the effort and some early details, disclosed to The Globe in a briefing, could have an impact on the
homeless situation in the neighbourhood - a 10-block area where open drug dealing and use occurs.
"People who are currently very visible in the Downtown Eastside and other areas of Vancouver, who have mental health and
addiction issues, will be offered housing through rent subsidies primarily, and will be offered a different kind of service
than they currently have access to," said Paula Goering, a lead researcher for the commission's project...
Calgary's homeless numbers are growing significantly faster than the city's general population, leaping 18 per cent since 2006
according to this year's count. As of May 14 there were 4,060 homeless Calgarians, up from 3,436 in 2006. Officials cannot explain
it, but the rate of homeless families jumped dramatically, rising to 197 from 145 in 2006 -- a 36 per cent increase. [...]
"A Life-Threatening Condition"
TORONTO, June 23 /CNW/ - A new study released today documents the brutal
impact of homelessness on the lives of women in Toronto. Calling homelessness
a "life-threatening" condition for women, the study reveals staggering rates
of sexual assault among homeless women, and documents health impacts that
significantly reduce life expectancy. The Women & Homelessness Research
Bulletin, released jointly by Street Health and Sistering, paints a detailed
picture of women's street homelessness today and its devastating impact.
"We were staggered to learn that homeless women are ten times more likely
to be sexually assaulted than homeless men and are more likely to have a
serious physical health condition," stated Kate Mason, study coordinator at
Street Health. "One in five women had been sexually assaulted in the past year
and almost all - 84% - had at least one serious physical health condition."
"Absolute poverty exists on the streets of our city with brutal
consequences for women," said Angela Robertson, study advisor, and Executive
Director of Sistering. "Homeless women cannot meet their basic survival needs
- they don't know where their next meal is coming from, they don't have safe
shelter or private space to address personal hygiene needs. The provincial
government is developing a strategy to reduce poverty, that strategy should
include steps to bring an end to women's street homelessness. It's unsafe and
unjust to condemn a woman to live on the street."
The study is a partnership between Street Health, an organization
providing nursing care and street outreach services to homeless people, and
Sistering, a multi-service agency for homeless and low-income women in
Toronto. It surveyed 97 homeless women in Toronto about their health status
and access to health care. Findings include information on the causes of
homelessness, the difficult daily lives of homeless women, their physical and
mental health status, as well as the barriers homeless women face when
attempting to access health care. The bulletin sets out a series of solutions
aimed at service providers and all levels of government to improve the health
of homeless women and end homelessness. [...] [Read More]
OTTAWA - The first of what are to be hundreds of street people will enter the new program designed to end
homelessness in the city by the end this year or early next year at the latest, say officials spearheading the initiative.
Details of the program are being worked out. It will follow ones from around the world that are very simple and showing success,
and the goal is to eliminate homelessness in the city within 10 years.
Under the program, hardcore homeless people - those living on the streets or in shelters for more than 60 days - will be
given small apartments and the supports the need, like addiction and mental health services, to stay off the street for good.
In North America, Philip Mangano, an appointee of U.S. President George W. Bush, has helped implement such programs in hundreds
of cities, and Tuesday he guaranteed local leaders that if they implement the program, it will reduce the number of people
living on our streets. "I assure you that the investment you are making will lead to a return," he said. "You will see the numbers
of people living on the streets decline. It will improve the quality of life for everybody in your community, especially your
poorest and most vulnerable neighbours."
The goals are both economic and humanitarian. A city study estimates that each of the city's 900 or so hardcore homeless costs
the provincial, federal and municipal governments $400 to $500 per day when the costs of shelters, soup kitchens, policing,
hospital stays, jail and other resources are added in. By comparison, the study found that if homeless people are given homes
with support services, it's much cheaper and better for the person. It's estimated that a person needing the highest amount
in support programs would cost $115 a day if they were in their own apartment. A person needing low support would cost $24 per day.
The city study is backed up by dozens in other cities in Canada, the U.S. and abroad. [...]
Related:
COST OF RESPONDING TO HOMELESSNESS IN OTTAWA
Submitted by Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager, Community and Protective Services, to the Committee(s) of Council, City of Ottawa (7 November 2007)
BACKGROUND
In February 2007, Community and Protective Services Committee (CPSC) adopted a report entitled Streets to Homes Initiative for Addressing Homelessness.
The report disposition directed staff to provide an analysis of current costs of municipal services provided to the homeless population in Ottawa in order to build a business case for investment in housing with supports; to identify where to maximize the value of the current
community investments to directly contribute to the achievement of the objectives of a housing first strategy; and to provide
a progress report back to CPSC by fall 2007. [...]
Investment in Housing with Supports
It is far more cost effective to provide affordable, supportive housing than to treat the daily crisis caused by the lack
of supportive housing. The current system is mainly geared to dealing with the crisis. The main gap is lack of adequate supports
to help people stay in their homes and out of emergency rooms, shelters. The responsibility for the funding of supports to housing
lies with the provincial government.
While community supportive housing is roughly equivalent in cost compared to the public expenditures incurred in the
institutionalized emergency shelter system, supportive housing provides a much more stabilizing environment which likely
reduces incidence of emergency service use (i.e. emergency hospitals, policing services, etc.) It also provides a more
stable and higher quality of life for the formerly homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless.
An example of a current program aimed at helping to prevent homelessness is the recently funded "Aging in Place" program for
seniors in social housing. Located in five apartment buildings, this program provides immediate access to supports for over
1,200 seniors, and has already reduced or eliminated chronic use of emergency room medical services. Annual funding for
this program is $700,000, from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. While not specifically about chronic homelessness,
it is a good demonstration of the importance and value of funding preventative supports to housing. [...]
...If they are looking for an approach that's even more simple, the leadership group could emulate what is being done
by the Canadian Mental Health Association. That group serves the portion of the homeless who are most severely affected
by mental health and addiction problems. Rather than house them in large groups, the CMHA has bought individual condo
units and arranged with landlords to rent space in regular apartment buildings. The association provides the mental
health support. It hasn't received much recognition here, but the program is a success that other cities are examining,
says CMHA executive director Marion Wright. One of the keys to that success is that it integrates people with significant
problems into the regular community rather than grouping them together...
The cost of homelessness
Lori Culbert, With Files From Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun (22 March 2008)
B.C. spends $644 million a year on services for those on the street. A study says the same amount would buy supported
housing for all. [...]
...the conclusion of the 150-page report -- written by five academics at Simon Fraser University, the University of B.C.
and the University of Calgary -- is that B.C. taxpayers could even save money if that cash was instead spent directly on
supported social housing.
"We wound up generating an estimated cost [of homeless people] in B.C. that is roughly the same as the cost of implementing
the full-meal deal of housing and supports for every one of those people," said one of the authors, professor Julian Somers,
director of SFU's Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction.
The report, completed last month, says its research shows that approximately 130,000 people in B.C. have a severe addiction
and/or a mental illness; about 26,500 of those people are "inadequately housed and inadequately supported," including 11,750
who are "absolutely homeless."
The authors said that at the time the report was written, there were 7,741 supported housing units in B.C. for people
with mental illness and/or addictions, and therefore concluded an estimated 18,759 vulnerable people were at "imminent
risk of homelessness."
The provision of supportive housing substantially reduces the burden on hospitals, psychiatric care, prisons and jails.
This trend had been observed nationally and internationally. People in supportive housing on average spend only one third
as much time in these facilities as the homeless population. While the cost may not always be obvious because it is spread
over different departments and budgets, these are expensive services. The actual costs vary, but the pattern is clear:
homelessness is expensive, and substantial broad cost savings of about 40% can be achieved by investing in supportive housing.
Harm Reduction and Housing First Action Plan
...Homelessness and attendant problems have become a visible issue for the City, primarily in the Downtown area. The Action Plan
is one of a series of City initiatives to address homelessness including cooperation with the Downtown business community,
neighbourhood groups and the formation of the Safer Nanaimo Working Group.
The review of Best Practices highlights a Housing First approach to homelessness, which emphasizes moving people off
the streets and into housing as quickly as possible and following up with support services. With supports and harm reduction
measures, individuals are able to move towards self-reliance and independence.
The examination of the homeless situation in Nanaimo concluded that the number of homeless is estimated to range from
150 to 300 and varies by season. Nanaimo sees a large number of transient homeless because it is a Hub City – a major
geographic and transportation centre. The majority of the homeless are in their mid 20s to mid 40s in age and have
addiction issues. A smaller percentage experience mental illness.
The Action Plan has eight areas of action to be undertaken over a five-year period. The Plan proposes a Housing First and
Harm Reduction approach designed to get homeless people into housing and provide them with the supports they need to maintain
their housing and begin to get their lives back on track. Proposed harm reduction measures are to be integrated with the
housing initiative to reduce the impacts of high-risk behaviour, such as drug abuse, on the individual and on the wider
community... [Read More]
The number of people using emergency shelters showed a small decline to 8,915 individuals, but shelter beds were filled 18,540
more times in 2007 than in 2006. This 5.7% increase – to 342,165 times that shelter beds were used – is largely a result of longer
stays.
Compared to 2006, the average length of stay in an emergency shelter is up 13.9% in 2007. This reflects the difficulty of
finding suitable and affordable housing in an expensive housing market.
Modest increases in minimum wage and income support were offset by an increase in rents and other living costs.
Of particular concern is the rise in the number of families using emergency shelters. In 2007, 1,237 children spent time in
an emergency shelter, an increase of 6.4% compared to 2006.
Overall, homelessness worsened in 2007 after some progress in 2006. It's time for the Ottawa community to say "Enough is enough!
We've got to get moving to end this!" [Read More]
SOURCE: Calculation based on wages of a full time worker, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, paying Ottawa's 2007 Average Rents, and using CMHC's definition of affordable housing as costing less than 30% of pre-tax income.
In 2007, the Ontario Minimum Wage was $8.00/hr (set Feb 2007).
The rate rose to only $8.75 in March 2008.
Unit size & average cost in Ottawa, 2007 (monthly)
Employment Insurance based on $30,000 salary (monthly)
Senior on average CPP, & old age benefits, monthly
Minimum Wage** @ 40 hours/ wk, monthly
Ontario Works *** (OW), monthly
Ontario Disability Support *** (ODSP), monthly
Room $450
$1,375
$1,219
$1,386
$560
$999
Bachelor $643
$1,375
$1,219
$1,386
$560
$999
1-bedroom $798
$1,375
$1,219
$1,386
$1,294** (1 parent, 1 child)
$1,788** (1 parent, 1 child)
2-bedroom $961
$1,375
$2,008 (2 seniors)
$1,386
$1,678** (1 parent, 2 kids)
$2,108** (1 parent, 2 kids)
* Income for one adult except as noted.
** Including the National Child Benefit Supplement and the Universal Child Benefit
** Minimum wage rate as of February 2007
*** OW / ODSP rate of November 2007
The number of homeless people in British Columbia may be triple the estimate
Housing minister Rich Coleman provided to The Tyee last week, according to a new report by health professors at UBC, SFU
and the University of Calgary.
The authors are SFU's Michelle Patterson and Julian Somers, Calgary's Karen
McIntosh and Alan Shiell, and UBC's Jim Frankish. The report was prepared at the
request of the health ministry's mental health and addictions branch. Other
partners and contributors to the report include the provincial health
authorities, the Employment and Income Assistance ministry and Coleman's own
Forests and Range ministry.
To get their estimate, the authors used data and reports from the Canadian Mental Health
Association, the Canadian Senate, the provincial government and academic
journals. "No single authoritative source of information is available to derive
these estimates," the report says. "However, a number of recent reports offered
valuable insights into various levels of housing need."
The report says some 130,000 adults in B.C. have severe addictions and/or
mental illnesses. About 39,000 are "inadequately housed," meaning they meet the
Canadian Mortgage and
Housing Corporation's definition of being in "core housing need." Of those, about 26,500 don't have enough
support to help them stay in their home.
Somewhere between 8,000 and 15,500 are what the report calls "absolutely
homeless," meaning they are living on the streets, couch surfing or otherwise
without shelter. The report says the authors confirmed their figures with "local
stakeholders and key informants." The report also says that despite impressions
that homelessness, mental illness and addiction are urban problems, interviews
with front-line workers found the same problems were "highly prevalent in rural
settings." [Read More]
The Streetlink Shelter, the bane of downtown businesses and place of last refuge for many homeless people, will be
moved from Store Street as part of an initiative that will also create an additional 78 supportive housing units and
35 shelter beds. Victoria's Ellice Street park, north of downtown, will be the site of the new facility.
The announcement was made yesterday as part of a sweeping homeless initiative by the City of Victoria and the province that
will see more than 170 housing units constructed for homeless people. The plan includes units that will be redeveloped.
A price tag wasn't given, but Rich Coleman, B.C.'s minister responsible for housing, said the money will come from $41
million earmarked last fall to deal with homelessness. The province will pay development costs for the projects and arrange
all capital costs and operating funds either through B.C. Housing or other partners.
Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe said the projects will be fast-tracked through the city's development process with a view to having
two of the sites open in 2008 and the Streetlink site redeveloped by 2010. The city will make one parcel of land available
for the project and exempt the operations from property taxes. [...] [Read more]
...The working poor — those whose sole income was from a full-time, minimum-wage job — faced similar problems despite the fact
minimum wage in all 22 cities has gone up in recent years and is about $8 per hour.
"In no case could a single person earning minimum wage be able to find an affordable private rental unit in any of the 22 communities.
Depending on where they lived, they required anywhere from $463 to $1,673 in additional monthly wages in order to spend less than
30 per cent of their income on an average one-bedroom apartment," the study said.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact there has been little construction of social housing by government and the fact that few
private entrepreneurs are building rental accommodation for low-income people, the report said. Most private rental properties
serving people with low incomes are in need of replacement because they are 40 years old or older, the study added...
The Quality of Life Reporting System relies on a
definition of homelessness that includes singles and
families experiencing any of the following conditions:
Rooflessness: staying overnight in a place not
meant for human habitation (e.g., a vacant building,
a public or commercial facility, a city park, a
car or on the street);
Living in an Emergency Shelter: singles and
families relying on the emergency shelter system
on a short-term or recurrent basis;
Invisible homelessness: temporarily and/or
involuntarily living with friends or relatives
("couch-surfing") or exchanging favours in
return for housing; and,
Houselessness: includes people who reside in
long-term institutions because there is no suitable
accommodation in the community and
youth living in care.
Due to numerous methodological and practical challenges,
there continue to be few statistics available
which reliably monitor changes in the incidence of
homelessness.At the same time, a combination of
street counts and estimates from several QOLRS
communities consistently suggest that the level of
homelessness is not decreasing.
According to the 2007 Greater Vancouver Vital
Signs Report, there was a significant increase in
the number of street homeless in Greater
Vancouver between 2002 and 2005, going from
333 people in 2002 to 1,127 in 2005.
The City of Calgary conducted a one-day count
of homeless persons in 2006, including usage of
Emergency Shelter and Transitional facilities, and
street counts. The 3,436 individuals counted represented
an increase of 34 per cent from 2004.
Edmonton's one-day count in 2006 was the latest
of seven to be conducted by the city. The report
found that although significant progress has been
made towards addressing homelessness needs,
homelessness continues to be a growing issue in
Edmonton. The one-day observed homeless
count, which is an indication of the scale of
homelessness, increased from 836 in 1999 to
1,915 in 2002 to 2,618 in 2006. Growth was
most evident among singles, which accounted for
90 per cent of all homeless people in 2006.
Waterloo's Homelessness to Housing Stability
Strategy provides these estimates: in 1999, the
first calculation of the annual prevalence of
homelessness estimated that between 1,500 and
2,000 people experienced homelessness over the
course of a year in Waterloo. The 2006 Inventory
of Services estimated 4,832 individuals aged 16
and over used emergency shelters.
According to the Hamilton Social Planning &
Research Council, the number of people using an
emergency shelter at least once a year has almost
doubled over the last 20 years in Hamilton. This
data is also reflected in "on a given night" shelter
counts conducted by the Social Planning and
Research Council showing 160 people staying in
emergency shelters on a given night in November
1995, and over 400 in November 2006.
Toronto completed its first street needs assessment
in 2006. A total of 5,052 individuals were
identified.The majority (72.2 per cent) were staying
at a shelter.The number of individuals staying
in shelters was highest in 2001: 31,175 people
(men, women and children). Beginning in 2002
and continuing to 2006, the number of families
and the number of children decreased.
Finally, in the Halifax Regional Municipality, a total
of 266 homeless persons were surveyed in 2004.
This represents a 13 per cent increase in the
number of individuals identified as homeless from
the 2003 survey. While the number of homeless
individuals in the Halifax Regional Municipality
cannot be said to have increased by 13 per cent,
the study did conclude that the situation has not
been improved and may have deteriorated.
Local QOLRS Reports (Reports produced by the QOLRS municipalities).
For additional reports, see here.
See also: Sustaining the Momentum: Recommendations for a National Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness
This paper was prepared for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities by Steve Pomeroy of
Focus Consulting Inc., Senior Research Fellow, University of Ottawa Centre on Governance, with
participation by FCM's Canadian Municipal Housing Action Network (CMHAN), a network of
municipally based housing practitioners and administrators. (23 January 2008)
More than a month after Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe promised to find homes for 50 street people within 120 days, there is no
indication even one hard-to-house person has been identified or one home secured.
"I don't know, time will tell," Lowe said yesterday of meeting the deadline, which he says depends on the number of housing
units available and how quickly proposed outreach teams mobilize. Also, a governance structure, needed to implement the plan
outlined in the mayor's task force report on homelessness released Oct. 19, has yet to be adopted.
It may still be do-able. We're doing what we can to try to meet whatever we can in the first 120 days," Lowe said. "Even if
we house 40, we'll have made a great start and built momentum."
The actual 120-day deadline is Feb. 15, but with Christmas holidays, Lowe said he's shooting for March 1. Victoria lawyer Stewart
Johnston, who is seeking to temporarily shut down the Cormorant Street needle exchange where many
homeless addicts congregate, and force the health authority to fund a bigger, better location, said the mayor must stick
to his promise.
"We knew it would be difficult, the task force knew, and so did the mayor. So, it's difficult; now carry on and do it," he
said. "If it were easy, it would not be a problem all these years, and getting worse." Johnston doesn't place the burden of
delivery solely on the mayor's shoulders -- he notes the provincial and federal governments must provide substantial funding
for housing and mental-health and addiction services.
The city's task force aims to find 1,550 housing units over the next five years for the homeless. Within a year, the city plans
to find accommodations, through rent subsidies, for 350 people. Various avenues are being explored. The new Our Place complex
could take a few people, according to Lowe, but Victoria Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe said that facility was not part of the
plan for the first 50 people. Some might go directly to detox/treatment beds, she said, while others might bump supportive-housing
tenants functioning well enough to "graduate" to more independent, apartment-style housing. In the new year, capital region mayors
will be asked what housing stock they can provide.
The Vancouver Island Health Authority has kicked in $7.6 million toward the effort -- more than $3 million of that going toward
the creation of four outreach groups, called Assertive Community Teams, which will provide support in the areas of housing,
substance abuse and mental health. Another $1.7 million is earmarked for adult detox treatment.
Housing 50 people within four months is expected to have an immediate effect downtown. Many of the homeless often end up sprawled
outside the Cormorant Street needle exchange or Streetlink on Store Street, amid feces, filth and scattered hypodermic needles.
Thornton-Joe said the task force had its "First 50" meeting on Monday. "There's been discussion but we actually haven't said here's
the page [of names]," she said. Once determined, the names will be kept confidential. The task force felt it should set an
aggressive target to get everyone motivated, said Thornton-Joe, adding she's not conceding defeat on the deadline.
"It's realistic and optimistic," she said. "I don't think it will be impossible. Whether we reach all 50, that's the question."
A city-commissioned study has concluded that the current approach to dealing with chronically homeless people costs taxpayers
up to 10 times more than it would to give the same people a home and support programs.
The study will be tabled at the city's community services committee Thursday.
It is part of a comprehensive review of the city's approach to its chronically homeless population of about 900 people who
are costing millions in shelter, policing, jail, and hospital services, said the study.
It would be much more cost-effective to build social housing and provide addiction, education, and mental and physical
health services directly to this population, the study by Focus Consulting concludes.
The report says chronically homeless people cost about $51 a day in shelters. But when policing, hospital stays,
and jail resources directed toward this population are added in, the cost increases to an average of $400 to
$500 a day for each person.
By comparison, the study found a person needing the highest amount in support programs would cost $115 a day if
they were in their own apartment. A person needing low support would cost $24 per day.
"Institutional and emergency responses are much more costly than long-term housing options, even when including the
costs associated with providing support services with the housing," the study says. [...] [Read more]
Edmonton... The province is undertaking an ambitious 10-year plan to co-ordinate initiatives that address homelessness
in Alberta through the development of an Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness. The initiative will be led by the Honourable
Yvonne Fritz, Associate minister of Affordable Housing and Urban Development.
"We recognize the many diverse challenges ahead in addressing the issues around homelessness," said Premier Ed Stelmach. "I have
every confidence that through the leadership of Associate minister Fritz, the Secretariat for Action on Homelessness will be very
successful in completing its work. This is an ambitious goal, but one that I believe we must pursue to help those most in need."
The new Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness will have a mandate to develop a provincial strategy to end homelessness.
The Secretariat will work closely with municipalities throughout the province to co-ordinate and support them in the development
of their regional homeless strategies, utilizing the best practices of programs that have worked. [...]
The Secretariat will include representation from throughout the province and is expected to be in place by April 2008. Over the
next several months, a governance and accountability structure, terms of reference including membership, and budget will be
developed.
In response to the Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force report, the province committed more than $285 million in new funding this
year to address immediate housing pressures. The Alberta government's affordable housing strategy will lead to the development
of more than 11,000 units over the next five years.
Addressing affordable housing and homelessness is part of Premier Ed Stelmach's plan to secure Alberta's future by building
communities, greening our growth and creating opportunity. Further details regarding the new Alberta Secretariat for Action
on Homelessness will be available in the weeks ahead on the Municipal Affairs and Housing website at
www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca. [...]
[T]he vacancy rates for lower end rental units in the
Edmonton market declined from 5-6 percent to 1-1.5 percent in 2006, pushing up
rents sharply. Homelessness has soared - up approximately 20 percent in 2006.
In Calgary, estimates of the number of homeless show a near five-fold increase
over the past decade. Smaller markets in the Corridor are now experiencing
similar shortages of affordable housing. [...]
October 2007: Addressing affordable housing shortfalls and meeting the needs of individuals and families are key issues in
many communities across Canada. However, identifying the need for affordable housing is just a first step. In order to
effectively meet the affordable housing needs in a community, a number of considerations must be taken into account. Building
the Future outlines ten of these considerations:
Communities must identify and clarify the type(s) of affordable housing required.
Communities must take a two-pronged approach to meet the growing demand for affordable housing: i)
new construction; and ii) maintaining existing forms of affordable housing.
Communities must recognize that, in many cases, "bricks and mortar" are not enough. The needs of the
residents must be "built in."
Determining where affordable housing units should be located is critical.
Communities must identify and address barriers to affordable housing.
Partnerships must be established.
Affordable housing is not just a job for government. The free market has an important role to play.
Housing is both a supply and demand issue and public policies need to address both sides of the issue.
Affordable housing requires long-term thinking.
Addressing the affordable housing challenge in Canada will cost money.
This short and accessible paper will be of great use to policy-makers and the public as Canadians wrestle with the best
ways to address the affordable housing challenge and ensure that all Canadians have an adequate roof over their heads.
For more information about the paper or the Western Cities Project, please contact Robert Roach, Director of Research
(roach@cwf.ca). Please direct media inquires to: Gary Slywchuk, slywchuk@cwf.ca, 403-835-8192.
Thousands of homeless children losing out on education
October 1, 2007
TORONTO – A groundbreaking new report shows at least 2,000 homeless children in Toronto are needlessly at risk of slipping
through the cracks of the education system every year.
Lost in the Shuffle, by the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto and Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre,
is the first study in Canada to document the impact of homelessness on children's education in Toronto.
The report found that the majority of homeless children aged six to 12 attend three schools in the year they lose housing, and as
a result repeat material and miss curriculum. Highly transient students can attend more than 10 schools before reaching high school,
and many of them face barriers due to emotional trauma.
"Neither the school system nor the shelter system is equipped to systematically help them through," says report author Ann Decter.
"And yet we know the steps we can take to make sure homeless children stay on track with their education without massive new
spending. Teachers need help to keep these kids on the right track, and the kids need the support of a trained professional –
a guardian angel on their side."
Community experts are uniting in a call to help transient students cope.
"We owe it to these kids to recognize the challenges they experience and to support them. We know we can build resiliency
to help them overcome tough times," said Paula Carrie of Aisling Discoveries, the organization that pioneered ways to smooth
the path for these children.
According to a national survey, 76% of women and 88% of children in shelters were escaping situations of abuse.
"Domestic violence is the sleeping giant in children's homelessness. Many of these children are going to school afraid that
their fathers are going to find them on the playground," said Rhonda Roffey, executive director of Women's Habitat.
In any given year, since 1990, the annual population of children living in Toronto's homeless shelters has ranged from a high
of nearly 7,000 to no less than 3,500. The full report, funded by the United Way of Greater Toronto, is available online
at www.socialplanningtoronto.org. [...]
Special housing eyed where chronically homeless can get the help they need
Desperately looking for a way to deal with downtown Victoria's growing numbers of homeless – about 1,200 people at last count – the
Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce thinks it's found a way to get at least 200 chronically homeless off the street.
But it's not a made-in-Canada solution.
The answer is adopting a Canadian version of the American Interagency Council of Homelessness strategy that's decreased the number
of homeless on the streets of participating cities by up to 70 per cent, said Bruce Carter, chamber chief executive officer.
Adopting a similar 10-year strategy here would get chronically homeless – people with disabilities, mental illness and addictions
problems – into special housing where they can get the support services they need.
Just back from the Canadian Chamber's policy debates in Ontario, Carter said he thinks he's sold the 170,000-member
Canadian Chamber of Commerce that it's a homeless answer worth considering.
With an estimated 20,000 homeless across Canada living in downtown alleys and in front of businesses, he said there's no
denying "homelessness has become a huge problem for our businesses across the country."
But there's no national homeless policy in this country, said Carter, estimating it would cost about $500 million
per year to implement an ICH-type strategy in this country.
Using Portland, Ore., as an example of how a city can reduce chronic homeless numbers by 60 per cent within the third
year of its ICH plan, Carter said Portland found each person off the street saves the city $16,000 in reduced social costs.
[To read about the Portland approach, Home Again - A 10-year plan to end homelessness in Portland
and Multnomah County, Citizens Commission on Homelessness (December 2004),
CLICK HERE (PDF).]
The cost saving would be similar if Victoria copied Portland's example – a $3.2 million saving per year if just 200 chronic
homeless were removed from downtown Victoria streets, he said. [...] [Read more]
Source: The Street Health Report 2007 Street Health, Toronto, 19 September 2007
Street Health is an innovative, community-based health care
organization providing services to address a wide range of physical,
mental and emotional needs for those who are homeless, poor and
socially marginalized in Toronto.
STREET HEALTH ACTION PLAN
We hope that the findings of the The Street Health Report 2007 will be a call to action to develop and
implement a comprehensive strategy to address homelessness in Toronto.
Overall, homeless people in Toronto have much poorer health than the general population. Homeless people
in our survey carry an alarmingly higher burden of many serious physical and mental health conditions. Three
quarters suffer from at least one chronic or ongoing physical health condition. In the past year, more than
half had experienced serious depression and one in ten had attempted suicide.
The health of homeless people in Toronto has deteriorated in the past 15 years. Many serious physical
health problems have become more common, and new illnesses have emerged that disproportionately affect
homeless people. The most important factors impacting the health of homeless people are the result of
social policy decisions that have been made by our governments in the past 15 years, particularly the cuts to
social assistance and the lack of investment in new affordable social housing.
Homelessness is a devastating and growing problem in Toronto. There is an urgent need to take action to:
Address the poverty and inequality that underlies homelessness
Improve access to affordable and appropriate housing
Improve immediate living conditions for homeless people
Improve access to health care and support for homeless people
Our action plan presents realistic solutions to immediately improve the health of homeless people and to
ultimately end homelessness. [...] [p.50] [Read more]
Homelessness is Not a Crime
"It's constant. If you're sleeping somewhere, you get charged with trespassing.
You're just trying to get out of the rain or something to keep dry. You get
charged all the time." – Survey Respondent
Since the mid 1990s, new by-laws, as well as changes to policing practices around existing by-laws, have been
introduced that criminalize the activities of people who are homeless. Prohibiting people from sleeping in public
places like Nathan Phillips Square, and fining people for activities like panhandling, loitering, and public drinking, has
turned homeless people into criminals and made their lives even more difficult. A recent Montreal study of this issue,
found that 72% of homeless people who were given tickets for sleeping in parks went to jail because they couldn't
pay the fine.*
An extensive examination of the relationship between homelessness and the criminal justice system can be found
in Justice and Injustice: Homelessness, Crime, Victimization, and the Criminal Justice System**, a 2006 research
study conducted by The John Howard Society of Toronto and the Centre for Urban and Community Studies at the
University of Toronto. [p.45] [Read more]
* Reseau d'Aide aux Personnes Seules et Itinerantes de Montreal (RAPSIM). 2006. Fermeture des parcs: Un geste inacceptable
et inconsequent. Media Release 31 August 2006. Montreal: RAPSIM. Available at: http://www.rapsim.org/.
VICTORIA (CUP) – Homeless people in Victoria have won a small victory in their upcoming Charter challenge
to have their rights to sleep outside recognized.
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has dismissed an application from the City of Victoria for a permanent injunction that
would have restricted homeless people from setting up another tent city in a downtown park.
The application, which was rejected on Aug. 13, is a small victory in an ongoing campaign for homeless people's
"right to sleep."
Irene Faulkner and Catherine Boies Parker, two lawyers working on the case, said that bylaws which make it illegal
to sleep overnight in parks violate homeless people's rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
They plan to challenge the constitutionality of those bylaws in September.
"The way things are standing right now, we'll be looking to move ahead with the trial on Sept. 4," Faulkner said.
"This is great news on our side."
In a video posted on HomelessNation.org last month, Boies Parker said, "The underlying issue is the constitutionality of
the bylaws that make it illegal to sleep outside."
Boies Parker and Faulkner argue that Victoria's laws deprive homeless people of security by preventing them from
sleeping outside while the city that lacks shelter spaces. Section 7 of the Charter guarantees security of the person.
They also said that the bylaws have a disproportionate effect on homeless people, violating their Section 15 right
to equality before the law. [...] [Read more]
Lawyer Irene Faulkner
Image Credit: Tent_City_Lawsuit, homelessnation.org, 2007-09-13 Click image to watch video
The Attorney General's office for British Columbia has intervened in the case against homeless people sleeping outside.
Based on a City of Victoria bylaw an injunction was requested to end a tent city in Cridge Park in October 2005. This tent
city followed 2 others, one on the lawn of the BC Legislature (Camp Campbell) and another in the orchard in front of St.
Anne's Academy. Challenged on a constitutional basis the City of Victoria tried to back out of the case but a BC Supreme
Court Judge denied a discontinuation applied for by the City. The Attorney General's office has requested a postponement
claiming they have to get up to speed on the case. However, this case has been posted for 2 years and now will not likely
appear in court until Spring 2008. Meanwhile homeless people across the nation have waited long enough. The city of Victoria
has more than 1,200 homeless people or people at risk of being homeless as registered by a survey conducted by the Cool-Aid
Society. (See: [Victoria Homeless Needs Survey 2007: A Pathway to Home: HOUSING FIRST –
PLUS SUPPORTS]) Since the city only has 170 bed, mostly provided by charity organizations,
there is nowhere for people to sleep. Therefore, a law that criminalizes sleeping outside, when there is nowhere else to
sleep, is unconstitutional.
Vancouver–Days after a judge ruled that homeless people have a right to camp in Victoria's city parks, police moved in
yesterday to break up a growing tent city near the provincial legislature.
Five people were arrested when some homeless campers refused to take down their tents.
Police were enforcing a new bylaw that doesn't prevent camping in public places, but tries to regulate it by only
allowing camping overnight.
The new bylaw was quickly put into place after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled earlier in the week that Victoria's original
bylaw, passed three years ago to prohibit erecting a shelter in a public place, was unconstitutional because there aren't
enough shelters to house Victoria's homeless. While advocates for the homeless lauded the Tuesday ruling, municipal
officials across Canada are watching the decision closely. Within hours of the ruling, tents started going up in
Victoria's Beacon Hill Park near the legislature. Camps have since popped up in other city parks.
"The whole city is open," activist David Johnston, who is homeless himself, said yesterday before the police moved
in. "Some of the more hard-core people are gathering here at Beacon Hill, but they're setting up tents everywhere."
Johnston joined other advocates for the homeless to successfully sue the city of Victoria three years ago after a tent city
was forcibly taken down. [...]
In Canada, over 10,000 people are homeless on any given night. People experiencing homelessness are at high risk for
compromised mental health, mental illness, suicide and addictions. The pathways linking mental health and homelessness
are interrelated. Mental health can be influenced by various individual, social, cultural, physical and socio-economic
determinants. These factors can, in isolation or combination, be related to homelessness. Further, while various mental
health issues can precede homelessness, others can develop or worsen with continued homelessness.
The Improving the Health of Canadians: Mental Health and Homelessness report
provides an overview of the latest research, surveys and policy initiatives related to mental health and homelessness and,
for the first time, presents data on hospital use by homeless Canadians. [...] [Read more]
Source: SPECIAL ISSUE: Homelessness & Mental Illness
Volume 28, Numbers 3-4 / August, 2007
The Journal of Primary Prevention
Publisher Springer Netherlands
ISSN 0278-095X (Print) 1573-6547 (Online)
Pages 187-400
Subject Collection Medicine
SpringerLink Date: Wednesday, 18 July 2007
An innovative program to find permanent housing for Toronto's most troubled homeless who live on the streets has proven
to be a real success since it was launched two years ago and should be expanded.
Since Toronto City Council introduced the Streets to Homes program, permanent housing has been found for more than 1,200 people,
of whom 87 per cent remain housed. A survey released this week of these formerly homeless people also found they are happier,
healthier and rely less on emergency services like hospitals and ambulances.
The Streets to Homes program, based on a "housing first" strategy, is aimed at finding permanent housing for people instead
of just focusing on improving services for them as they continue to live on the street. As well as finding homes for the
homeless, the program provides extensive support to ensure they stay housed.
Although this small program has proven its worth, it cannot by itself end homelessness in Toronto and the surrounding 905
communities. A study last summer found nearly 1,000 people are sleeping on the street each night in Toronto and close to
4,000 are living in 63 homeless shelters. In addition, more than 67,000 people are on the waiting list for subsidized
housing in Toronto alone. The average rent for a bachelor apartment in Toronto is about $750 a month, but the shelter
portion of social assistance payments is only $325 a month.
Indeed, the homeless problem has grown worse in recent years. Cathy Crowe, a Toronto street nurse and author of a new book,
Dying for a Home: Homeless Activists Speak Out, wrote this week in the Star that "there is no question that
circumstances today, compared with 1998, when hundreds of organizations declared homelessness a national disaster, are more
catastrophic."
The lack of affordable housing has been exacerbated by Ottawa's decision in the late 1990s to download the cost of providing
subsidized housing onto provincial governments, which in turn told cash-strapped municipalities to put up much of the costs.
Clearly, more help is needed from Ottawa and Queen's Park. Other jurisdictions are tackling this problem in big and small ways
with a spirit of co-operation between all levels of government.
And as the small Streets to Homes program has proven, even small initiatives can pay huge dividends for the less fortunate in
this city.
For many homeless people, the winter of 2007 was a dark time – not only were many emergency shelters filled beyond capacity during
cold snaps, but housing vacancy rates actually plunged in many cities, leaving growing numbers of Canadians with few options.
The coldest, deadliest nights of the year are now behind us. But the cost of homelessness isn't. According to a new report from
the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership, Shelter: Homelessness in a Growth Economy, homelessness is costing Canadian
taxpayers $4.5 billion to $6 billion a year.
Canada in 2007 collectively spends more managing homelessness than it spends on international development ($4.1 billion) or
on annual debt reduction ($3 billion). In fact, the cost of homelessness in Canada is comparable to the cost of the $4.35 billion
2006 GST tax cut and the entire 2007 environment plan on climate change, fresh water and wildlife conservation.
Since the early 1990s, Canada's main response to homelessness has been to build new emergency shelter beds and fund front-line
services to help contain and warehouse a growing pool of homeless Canadians.
It hasn't worked. Welfare services, municipal services, provincial health-care systems and the non-profit sector have been left
to take up the slack for the estimated 300,000 homeless people as well as the upwards of 2.7 million low-income Canadians who
now face housing affordability problems.
This nation's decade of relative inaction on homelessness, from 1993 to 2004, cost Canadian taxpayers an estimated $49.5 billion,
across all services and jurisdictions.
All levels of government have shown a lack of leadership. Most provincial governments, for example, inadequately fund welfare,
making it difficult, if not impossible, for recipients to find a place to live in our soaring real estate markets. Some of these
same people then wind up in homeless shelters funded by all three levels of government. Taxpayers are paying at least twice and
still we have homelessness.
While Canada's economy is booming, poverty is actually increasing. It was assumed that the economic boom would benefit all
Canadians, but the evidence shows that the income gap is actually growing and affordable housing is harder to find. CIBC
World Markets predicts that the average Canadian housing price will double by 2026.
Poverty is now the leading cause of homelessness in Canada, trumping substance abuse and mental illness. Canada's "new homeless" –
families, women, students, immigrants, aboriginals – are simply low-income Canadians who need affordable housing.
Many governments, both here and abroad, are championing the notion of "Housing First," that is, immediately addressing housing
needs through rent supplements. It has finally been recognized that homeless shelters are effective only as a short-term measure.
Housing each homeless person saves both taxpayers and government money and frees up resources to invest elsewhere. In Toronto,
for example, taxpayers pay 2.5 times as much for homeless shelters as for rent supplements.
Rather than tolerate failure, Canada should consider the kind of integrated, results-oriented "Housing First" approach
currently underway in the United States and Britain. Ideally, homelessness, affordable housing and poverty reduction would
be integrated into a national strategy. This would require high-level leadership from Canada's federal cabinet, as well
as provincial and municipal participation.
Some solutions are obvious. Possibly the best way to stem homelessness is to relieve low-income Canadians from making
hard choices between buying food or paying for shelter. At the very least, Canada should index welfare, shelter and social
assistance to inflation. If Newfoundland, one of Canada's least affluent governments, can do it, why can't everyone else?
We should develop a new, affordable housing strategy that develops market and non-market and rent-to-own units. We should
build more transitional and supportive housing for higher-needs Canadians. We should explore alternatives such as independent
housing trusts, mixed-income co-operatives, even non-traditional interim shelters. Municipalities must reform their zoning
bylaws to allow for basement suites.
Canada can no longer afford homelessness. Left unattended, circumstances will only become worse for many of those currently
homeless. It is much more fiscally responsible to engage homelessness and invest directly than to neglect it.
Gordon Laird is media fellow at the Calgary-based Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership.
Source: Province To Protect 996 Affordable Housing Units
Office of the Premier,
ministry of Forests and Range and minister Responsible for Housing
ministry of Employment and Income Assistance
3 April 2007
VANCOUVER – The Province is funding 996 more units of supportive housing to reduce
homelessness, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today.
The $80-million investment includes the purchase of 15 buildings in Vancouver, Victoria and
Burnaby to protect affordable housing. The Province launched a major housing initiative last fall,
Housing Matters BC, and committed additional new funding in Budget 2007. Today's announcement
secures important affordable housing, will help reduce homelessness, and gives the Province and local
governments more tools to help those who cannot help themselves... See Backgrounder.
Three governmental budgets have been delivered over the past seven days, and the hundreds of thousands of low, moderate
and middle-income Torontonians seeking affordable housing have been left out of all three. The federal budget of March 19
was entirely silent on new affordable housing spending; the provincial budget of March 22 merely re-announced previously
allocated federal housing dollars; and the municipal budget of March 26 proposes cuts to local housing and homelessness spending.
The federal government says housing is primarily a provincial and municipal issue. Over the past two decades, it has cut
housing funding and downloaded programs. The Ontario government, following suit, has cut provincial housing funding and
downloaded programs to municipalities. Provincial housing spending has been flat-lined in recent years. Municipal politicians
in Toronto call federal and provincial politicians "dead-beats" and say it's all their fault – even as local officials cut
housing and homelessness funding.
Meanwhile, the hundreds of thousands of Torontonians trapped in inadequate or unaffordable homes, the tens of thousands
in shelters and the uncounted thousands of "hidden homeless" are left to watch federal, provincial and municipal politicians
squabble and pass the buck and point an accusing finger at each other. [...] [Read more]
...The cost of addressing this issue is significant. The value of land to be committed by the City
is approximately $50 million. In 2014, when all of the sites are fully developed, the annual
City tax forgiveness would be $1.1 million and the annual incremental cost (including rent
subsidies and support costs) to the province for the renovated SRO hotel rooms and new
supportive housing units would be about $48 million. It is hoped that the addition of
corporate, philanthropic and citizen contributions to be pooled with funding from other
sources will help make raising sufficient funds to meet this challenge possible.
The solution of supportive housing requires sustained commitments from the City, the
Province, and the community to provide the necessary financial resources and to build longterm
capacity to address and manage homelessness and the problems that arise from it. It is
noteworthy that these proposals directly support the Project Civil City initiative of the City of
Vancouver, and will contribute significantly to achievement of the goals of that program.
While the cost of addressing homelessness is high, the financial and ethical cost of leaving
individuals homeless is higher. A workable and sustainable solution will not only improve the
lives of the homeless, it will also bring financial and social benefits to the whole community. [...] (pp.2-3)
Homelessness is not necessary. Unlike most other urban social problems,
homelessness is something policymakers actually know how to address. The U.S.
and Britain have slashed their rates of homelessness during the past decade. But
in Canada, homelessness is on the rise; and in the Vancouver region, the
official count of homeless persons almost doubled from 1,121 souls in 2002 to
2,174 in 2005.
Homelessness is not cheap. Provincial taxpayers spend up to $40,000 annually
per homeless person, according a 2001 study. That money is spent on police calls, hospital visits
and other emergency social services. If there are only 2,174 homeless people in
the Vancouver area (an official figure everyone in the field assumes is well
below the actual total) and if each person uses $40,000 in services (a figure
that did not include all local services), then British Columbia taxpayers are
spending $86.9 million a year just to help people living on the streets stay
alive. [...] [Read more]
Idea One: Trade Fairs for the Homeless Idea Two: Raise the Welfare Rates Idea Three: Train Young Workers Idea Four: Spread the Love Around (Help allay resistance from not-in-my-backyard neighbourhood groups.) Idea Five: Buy a Few Hotels Idea Six: Give Addicts Time to Heal Idea Seven: Bring Governments Together
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, December 19, 2006-Today, the Honourable Diane Finley, minister of Human Resources and Social Development,
announced $526 million for the new Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS), a strategy aimed at combating homelessness in
communities across Canada and extending CMHC's renovation programs.
The new Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) will be funded at $270 million over two years.
The new Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) includes:
Consulting with stakeholders from the private and non-profit sectors and listening to their concerns;
Partnering with the provinces and territories in the new year to determine how funding will be effectively
allocated across Canada, thereby addressing the unique needs of many Canadian communities similar to the
Canada-Quebec Agreement model;
Providing greater access to support networks appropriate to individual needs of homeless people (such as skills
training, health and substance abuse treatment) to help them attain self-sufficiency and full participation in Canadian society;
Requiring that funding be specifically targeted at the development of transitional and supportive housing; and
Tracking progress in the prevention and reduction of homelessness.
Even with somewhere to stay, life in the Downtown Eastside is rough, MARK HUME writes
...Homelessness is a problem in every Canadian city, but in the Greater Vancouver Area, where there are now 2,174 people
living on the street, including 22 children with their families, the tableau of poverty is laid out block after bleak block.
Here on the dead-end streets, where Canada's homelessness crisis takes on a shocking form and proportion, the problem has
become impossible to ignore.
How did it get this way? How did this beautiful, laid-back city, where the climate is softened by winds from the South
Pacific, become a place of such despair for so many?
The answer that emerges from interviews with poverty advocates, officials and front-line workers is disturbing. The homelessness
crisis, which has become such a visual blight that it is hurting tourism and leading to convention cancellations, didn't befall
the city like some kind of natural disaster. Instead, it was largely caused by government policy. [...]
In 1996, the Canada Assistance Plan ended after 30 years of guiding transfer payments from Ottawa -- worsening the situation.
CAP had tied the provinces to providing welfare support to people based on need, but provinces were then free to put restrictions
on welfare and they quickly did, disqualifying many. [...]
...Down and out, for the count
Nobody knows how many homeless people there are in Canada but estimates range from 150,000 to 250,000. Homelessness remains a
largely undefined problem because no reliable method for counting people who live on the streets has been determined. Although
several cities conduct counts, not all follow the same methodology, leading to data that can't be compared. Ottawa, for example,
has results that indicate it has more homeless people than either Vancouver or Toronto, which have much larger populations. Some
jurisdictions use point in time counts, which aim to determine the number of homeless people in a geographic area on a given day.
Others use period counts, annualizing the numbers to determine the total number of individuals in a given year who are homeless.
Some counts rely only on people staying in shelters; others exclude detox units, recovery houses or hospitals. Some don't include
emergency shelters for abused women. Counting people who live hidden, under bridges or in alley ways, and those who are often
on the move and don't follow a regular timetable is a difficult task. [...] [Read complete article]
In 1999, Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI) was launched as the centerpiece of the National Homelessness Initiative. It
was created "in an attempt to create a more integrated and inclusive approach to homelessness in Canada."
Along with providing financial support to communities, the SCPI encourages them to work together with provincial, territorial
and municipal governments and the private and voluntary sectors to strengthen existing capacity and develop new responses
to homelessness. Communities are allocated a maximum funding level which must be matched from other community sources
(i.e.: fundraising, local sponsors, etc.) and requires communities to explain how their activities will continue once SCPI
funding ends. Projects funded support priority areas identified through a community planning process... [Read more]
Toronto's most vulnerable left out in the cold if federal commitment to homeless initiatives ends.
On National Housing Day, Mayor David Miller makes public a list of 46 projects that are slated for closure as funding
deadline looms.
Homeless teenagers seeking to reconnect with their families; young Aboriginal mothers and their children needing transitional
housing; men and women honing employment skills in the hopes of becoming housed and independent; people who are in desperate
need of permanent housing. These are just some of the Torontonians whose lives are about to take an even sharper turn for the worse.
The federal government's Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI), a cornerstone of the City's strategy to end
homelessness for the past six years, is scheduled to end March 31, 2007 and nothing appears to be in place to stop this.
"The demise of these highly successful programs will have a profound and highly visible impact on some of our most vulnerable
citizens," said Mayor Miller. "Unless the federal government immediately renews funding for homeless services in cities
across the country - even on an interim basis - the momentum that we have built up to end homelessness in Toronto will come
to a dead stop." [Read more]
Homelessness is on the rise in almost all Canadian cities, and those on the front lines of addressing the problem lay the blame
squarely on the fact that Canada no longer has a fully-funded federal housing program. Senior-level housing programs were
cancelled by the federal government in 1993. In the years that followed, most provincial governments (with the notable exception
of Quebec) followed suit by cutting funding to provincial low-income housing. [...]
...In Victoria, which has about 700 homeless and not enough shelter beds to go around, the homeless situation prompted
renewed concern recently when a U.S. company cancelled a conference in the city, citing too many panhandlers and street
people as the reason. Premier Gordon Campbell has said his government will increase welfare rates in the February budget.
The welfare shelter rate in B.C., at $325 a month for a single person, hasn't been increased in 12 years.
Surveys show that Aboriginal people are disproportionately represented among Canada's homeless population and are more
likely to be "street homeless" than living in shelters. In Winnipeg, it's estimated that Aboriginals comprise up to 70
percent of the homeless population. The Manitoba Urban Native Housing Association, which has 965 units in Winnipeg and
1,595 throughout the entire province, has 4,000 families on a waiting list. [...] [Read more]
...Boomtown Alberta is drawing thousands of people from across the country, many of whom can't find anywhere to live. Those
who can are making it more and more difficult for others with lower incomes, or who are on welfare or disability pensions, to
find a home.
In a province that trumpets itself as the land of promise and plenty, thousands - many with jobs and enough money for a home -
are left out in the cold.
In Calgary and Edmonton, some shelters routinely turn away close to 100 people a night. Last week, police had to be called in
to calm 82 people who became desperate and angry when told there was no room in the Calgary Drop-In Centre.
Both cities have introduced last-minute emergency solutions, but the president of the Alberta Housing Coalition says it's too
little, too late. [...] [Read more]
[...] Invest in Bricks and Mortar Social Housing
Far from being a "failed social experiment", bricks and mortar social housing provides stable homes for
individuals and families with low income. Initiatives like the Provincial Housing Program provide both
infrastructure for the community and an asset for all British Columbians. It is abundantly clear that the
private market has failed to provide adequate housing choices for all residents. Only continued investment
in bricks and mortar housing and an expansion of supported housing by community groups will allow all
British Columbians access to a safe and secure home.
Increase Income Assistance Rates
Increasing income assistance rates will allow low income individuals and families to achieve a level
of dignity and housing tenure security. Clearly, $510 a month is not enough to secure safe housing, eat
nutritious food, and look for work. Welfare rates with the shelter portion need to be raised by at least 50%.
Vancouver's Homeless Action Plan, approved unanimously by City Council in 2005, made similar
recommendations for shelter rates. Increasing the buying power of low income households will allow tenants
to generate economic activity in their neighbourhoods and facilitate property maintenance by landlords. [...] [Read more]
The electronic editions of CMHC's standardized national suite of publications are now free. Clients can view, print,
download or subscribe to future editions of CMHC's popular Housing Market Outlook, Housing Now, and Rental Market series
of reports, as well as a number of other statistical reports and tables. For example:
Rental Market Reports - Major Centres Rental Market Reports covering major centres provide in-depth analysis and the trends in the market from the Fall Rental
Market Survey results. New in 2006 a report for Kingston is available and Abbotsford is covered within the Vancouver
report. To complement existing information, in 2006 CMHC expanded its coverage of the rental market in a number of
major centres to include the secondary rental market. Rental condominium apartment information is available for the
Québec, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver markets. Information on rental single, semi-detached,
and duplex units is available for Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver in 2006 and will be extended to include nine additional
centres in 2007.
Rental Market Reports - Canada and Provincial Highlights
Rental Market Statistics
Preliminary Housing Start Data
Housing Information Monthly
Monthly Housing Statistics
Canadian Housing Statistics
Atlantic, Québec, Ontario, Prairie and Territories, British Columbia
The Committee expresses concern about the significantly low proportion of unemployed
workers eligible for receiving insurance benefits, and notes that the State party has not provided
detailed responses to the Committee's previous concerns on this issue. The Committee notes
with concern that in 2001, only 39 per cent of unemployed Canadians were eligible for benefits;
that in some Provinces such as Ontario, eligibility rates are even lower; that the number of youth
receiving employment insurance benefits has decreased; that migrant workers and many parttime
workers, predominantly women, contribute to the plan but have great difficulties in
accessing benefits; and that the replacement rate of income which has been reduced to 55 per
cent in 1997, is the lowest ever.
The Committee, while noting the information provided by the State party of its
willingness to ensure that low-income working families do not receive fewer benefits than those
receiving social assistance, is deeply concerned by the discriminatory impact of the National
Child Benefit "clawback system", on the poorest families in Canada, in particular single-motherled
families.
The Committee notes with concern that low-income families, single-mother-led families
and Aboriginal and African-Canadian families, are over-represented in families whose children
are relinquished to foster care. The Committee is also concerned that women continue to be
forced to relinquish their children into foster care because of inadequate housing.
The Committee regrets that domestic violence as a specific offence has not been included
in the criminal code.
The Committee notes with concern that women are prevented from leaving abusive
relationships due to the lack of affordable housing and inadequate assistance.
The Committee notes with concern that about 7.4 % of the population, amounting to
about 2.3 million people, suffer from food insecurity in the State party, that about 40 percent of
food bank users are children and young people, and that about 51 percent of food bank users
while receiving social assistance benefits in 2005, still had to resort to food banks because of the
insufficient level of these benefits.
The Committee, while welcoming the National Homelessness Initiative and the adoption
of numerous measures on housing, regrets that the information provided was not sufficient
enough to assess the results of such measures. In particular the Committee is concerned that the
estimated number of homeless persons in Canada still ranges from 100,000 to 250,000. The
Committee, while welcoming the decrease in the proportion of households with core housing
need, notes with concern that in 2001 such households still represented about 13,7 to 16 percent
of all households. The Committee is further concerned that shelter allowances and social
assistance rates continue to fall far below average rental costs, and that waiting lists for
subsidized housing remain very long, as for example in Hamilton and Montreal.
METHODOLOGY
The study took place in the urban regions
of Greater Vancouver, British Columbia
(BC), Ottawa, Ontario and Halifax Regional
Municipality (HRM), Nova Scotia. It relied
on a review of published and unpublished
literature on eviction and eviction prevention;
focus groups and interviews with 91
households with a history of eviction; key
informant interviews with a network of frontline
workers and experts in the area of eviction,
and dissemination of project results
through professional associations, and local
networks of community organizations...
PRINCIPLE CONCLUSIONS
The experiences of study participants confirm much of the existing knowledge regarding the characteristics of tenants
facing eviction. However, the research indicates gaps in what is known about the experiences of certain vulnerable groups
of tenants, and a need to question the assumption of a straightforward link between eviction and homelessness. The following
three themes reflect the most significant findings of the study.
Eviction prevention
Cannot be equated with
homelessness prevention.
Threat of eviction is an
important and useful
indicator of crisis.
Making a real impact on
homelessness requires
new public policy and
investment.
The following excerpt indicates but does not include footnotes in the original document.
Pages 5-6:
2.2
The Facts
2.2.1
Many people in Hamilton depend on provincial social assistance programs for
survival. As of September 2005, Hamilton has approximately 24,000 persons
attempting to subsist on the Ontario Works ("OW") social assistance program, the
primary provincial social security program for individuals and families.9 Less
than 4000 of these individuals are single person beneficiaries, the rest are
families.10 This represents well over 10,000 children on this program.11
Hamilton also has approximately 19,494 individuals on the Ontario Disability
Support Program12 ("ODSP"), the primary provincial social security program for
the disabled, and 2,766 of those are children.13
2.2.2
Given the numbers on social assistance, it is imperative that social assistance rates
provide an adequate standard of living. Yet social assistance rates still fall far
below the LICO poverty line. For instance, a single person on Ontario Works
receives $6,432 annually, amounting to only 38% of the poverty line.14 Families
fare little better. A single parent receives $13,272 annually from Ontario Works
(62% of the poverty line), while benefit rates for couple families with 2 children
amount to only 55% of the poverty line".
2.2.3
We include below a table from the most recent report on local poverty from the
Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton, showing the troubling inadequacy
of Ontario Works social assistance rates when compared with the costs of securing
housing and the costs of food:
Emphasis added.
Household Type
Monthly Income Security Benefits
Monthly Cost Of Healthy Food Basket
Average Monthly Rent
Remainder
Single Male (25 to 49 yrs)
$536
$187
$508 (bachelor apt.)
- $159
Lone Parent Female (25 to 49 yrs.), with one male child (10 to 12)
$1,106
$212
$751 (2 bdrm. apt.)
$143
Family of four – Man and Woman (25 to 49 yrs.), with two children, girl (10 to 12), and boy (7 to 9)
$1,452
$514
$900 (3 bdrm. apt.)
$38
Source: Monthly Ontario Works benefit rates – City of Hamilton Public Health & Community Services Department, 2004
Source: Cost of a nutritious food basket – City of Hamilton Public Health & Community Services Department, 2004
Source: Average Monthly rents for Hamilton – Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 2004
Source: National Child Benefit & Child Tax Credit rates – Government of Canada, 2004
TORONTO After years of arguments between politicians and activists on both sides, Toronto is set to conduct its first-ever
census of the city's homeless population on Wednesday.
More than 1,700 volunteers are to undertake the one-night, $90,000 survey as the city attempts to find out how many people
are living on the streets in Canada's largest centre, and what kind of services they need.
Opponents of the census say it's unnecessary because the "needs" of the homeless are obvious (they need housing), and
that any attempt to count street people will fail due to a number of factors, including an expected lack of co-operation
from those being surveyed.
As well, others say, there's a large number of uncountable "hidden" homeless, also called "houseless," who often
double-up in other people's homes, or who are in temporary spaces looking for something permanent.
Advocates say the survey is needed to understand the depth of the problem, and some add that it will serve to
dismiss claims by some politicians that the homeless problem in Toronto is way overestimated.
The city says it has representatives from 34 community agencies and various municipal divisions involved through
the Street Outreach Steering Committee.
Findings from the survey will be sent to the Community Services Committee and then on to full council by July.
Similar surveys have been conducted in Calgary and Vancouver, and in both cases the number of homeless was
found to be higher than expected.
The City of Toronto held a "Street Needs Assessment" on April 19th. TDRC has a long history of being opposed to this
method of counting homeless people.
The results of the count were released on Friday, June 23rd. The report went to Community Services where numerous
amendments were debated and lost, and then on to Council at the end of July were it was approved. None of the
amendments were revived.
The Street Needs Assessment found that 5052 people were homeless on April 19th including:
3649 (72%) in shelters
818 (16%) on the street
275 (5%) in health care or treatment facilities
171 (3%) in Violence Against Women facilities
139 (3%) in correctional facilities
We believe that these numbers must be treated as a snapshot, they do not present a full and accurate representation of all
homeless people. We know that many were missed that night due to the survey methodology. The numbers don't even start to
take into account the hidden homeless population.
Michael Shapcott's recent backgrounder on the street counts - which includes such information as Edmonton and Vancouver's
significantly higher numbers despite a lower population - is available here.
Here is some background information to help you gain a better understanding of the issues:
TDRC's Position Paper on the Street Count - available for download in both WORD
and PDF
Shared Learnings on Homelessness In partnership with
Direct Energy and RBC Foundation,
Shared Learnings provides practical tools, resources and information sharing for frontline staff, managers and volunteers working
to address the problem of homelessness in their communities. Find out about initiatives in cities, towns and rural areas across
Canada. You can link to others working within the homelessness sector, share your experiences and learn from theirs. Counting the Homeless (May 2006)
The new eligibility rules have led to an increase in homelessness, as evidenced in both
Vancouver and Victoria. The City of Vancouver's Homelessness Action Plan found that the
number of homeless doubled between 2001 and 2004, and notes that, "In 2001, about 15
per cent of the street homeless were not on welfare. By early 2004, this had increased to
50 per cent, and by summer 2004, more than 75 per cent of the street homeless reported
they are not on welfare." Similarly, a study of Victoria-based social service agencies reports
major increases in demand for all types of emergency assistance, including food and shelter... [Read the Full Report]
Grade C+ ... Only slight progress made.
Community social service agencies in Ottawa have devoted significant efforts in assisting the large number
of people who were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in 2005.
In spite of their efforts, there has been only slight progress in ending homelessness in the past year as
reflected by shorter stays in shelters for some, development of new supportive and affordable housing units,
and a small decrease in private market rents.
There were also small rises in income for persons on income support or earning minimum wage.
However, these small gains in the area of housing and income are offset by the larger number of people
experiencing homelessness in Ottawa in 2005. [...] [Read more]
Sources:
Homelessness: HIFIS City of Ottawa.
Housing: City of Ottawa (*National Homelessness Initiative) and CMHC Rental Market Survey.
Income (and Support Programs): Province of Ontario Website
A non-profit community organiza- tion providing free programs and services for low-income Ottawa residents to fight financial exploi- tation and indebtedness.
Finding Home provides an easily accessible collection of the best Canadian research and policy analysis
on homelessness. The collection includes summaries of recently completed research reports and the most policy-relevant articles published in scholarly journals.
The eBook is permanently available at Homeless Hub, and chapters may be downloaded free of charge as PDFs or in
ePub format (readable on handheld devices).
Finding Home is designed to grow over time as new chapters are added, and is organized into themes that
represent specific groups of homeless people plus issues that intersect with homelessness. Current chapters include Housing, Health, Children & Youth, Women, Immigrants & Refugees,
Aboriginal People, Justice, Research, and Human Rights.
Learning about Homelessness in British Columbia
A Guide for Senior High-School Teachers
Learning about Homelessness in British Columbia is a resource guide for teachers to use with their students to support aspects of British Columbia senior high school courses, including
Civics 11, Social Studies 11, Economics 12, First Nations 12, Law 12, and Social Justice 12. The lessons contained in the resource meet learning outcomes that are part of the mandated
curriculum in the British Columbia Ministry of Education Integrated Resource Packages (IRPs). Teachers of other courses and grade levels can adapt lessons as they see fit. The resource
is also appropriate for use with other youth and adult groups.
The resource includes:
a teacher backgrounder on homelessness;
a set of activities and lessons on homelessness for teachers to do with their students; and
a list of supplementary resources related to homelessness (teacher's guides, films, books, reports).
The overall goals of the resource are:
to develop in students an understanding of homelessness, including the reasons for the increase in homelessness over the past decades and the policy tools that exist to reduce homelessness;
to foster empathy and a sense of justice regarding the suffering of others; and
to develop in students a sense of civic responsibility and to encourage their meaningful participation in society.
Launched in January 2006, the Youthworks initiative is a $1.2 million, three-year plan aimed at breaking the cycle of homelessness among young Canadians, and supporting them
to build a better future.
Intraspec.ca : Tools for Personal Development Readings, writings and research on matters of health and well-being.
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