Highlighting homelessness & risk factors
Do not let the image above fool you! Many people experiencing homelessness or at risk may not fit a certain description. Homelessness is not a choice and anyone can experience it at any given time. According to Raising The Roof, a charitable initiative launched in 1996 dedicated to finding long-term solutions to homelessness, approximately 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness each year, and families with children are the fastest growing homeless demographic. Poverty and its underlying issues are said to be the cause of homelessness. This may include poor physical or mental health, violence or abuse in the home, lack of employment or income, and a shortage of affordable housing.
HERE IS THE PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF A FAMILY AT RISK
"In September 2020, I was fired from my job. It was the day I would never forget. I believe I was fired because I reported I was being harassed and discriminated against in the workplace. My manager at the time decided to ignore my complaint and subsequently fired me, citing performance issues. When I started to seek help, the perpetrators who were also my colleagues, made my employment and working conditions unbearable. I was excluded, harassed, racialized, and deemed a troublemaker. I was in constant stress and suffered at least one panic attack when I was employed there. My initial harassment started when I was accused by a colleague of having a disability and the reason why "my performance was an issue". To make matters worse, our landlord gave our family notice to end our tenancy, seven months after losing my job. We pleaded with our landlord not to evict us and our children. We have never missed a rental payment and always made our payments on time. We have been searching for properties over several months, with no success. Potential landlords are asking for multiple months in advance and having bidding wars to lease their properties. There is not a day that goes by that we are not frightened about where we will end up."
Unfortunately, some workplaces are notorious for bending the rules or looking the other way when it comes to confronting offenders of the Human Rights Code with respect to employment. Employees might be afraid to admit to managers when they are experiencing abuse in the workplace, in fear of reprisal. Although this may be one issue affecting the homelessness crisis, risk factors may vary. A loss of one's employment can also have an extreme impact on one's physical and mental health.
- Aboriginal status
- Disability
- Early life
- Education
- Employment and working conditions
- Food insecurity
- Health services
- Gender and gender identity
- Housing
- Income and income distribution
- Race
- Sexual orientation
- Social exclusion
- Social safety net
- Unemployment and job security
The Canadian Mental Health Association also adds that when it comes to mental health, three social determinants are particularly significant:
- freedom from discrimination and violence
- social inclusion
- access to economic resources
A health report by Statistics Canada in 2021 characterized people experiencing homelessness and trends in homelessness using population-level emergency department visit data in Ontario, Canada. It concluded that homelessness in Ontario has been worsening over time, has been affecting younger cohorts, and have shifted geographically to smaller but rapidly growing municipalities. Due to the limitations of the the study and the incompleteness of data to guide important health and social policy decisions, it was concluded that the study may have undercounted people experiencing homelessness. To read this report Click here
In more recent news (April, 2023), Hamilton, ON in Canada has become the latest Ontario city to declare a state of emergency over homelessness. To read this article Click here
Stigma also plays a role in why people might not report homelessness and is among the various circumstances that can lead to it. Within the past two and a half years, there has also been an increase in evictions from rental properties, by the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). Although each circumstance may be different, renters and their families are also at a greater risk of becoming homeless.
Supreme Caregiver Support™ aims to support people experiencing poverty and homelessness. We are constantly exploring new ways of providing medical services to people of marginalized communities and those requiring immediate health care.
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