The 2010 version of the Oxford dictionary describes homelessness as simply having no home.

However, there are many aspects that lead to homelessness thus it cannot be simplified as just not having a home. Instead it is a human condition that is hard to fully grasp and understand. Being homeless is a state in which individuals are living without their own personal space and are unable to provide for themselves. Having skills is essential in order to survive in society but immigrants who dont have formal training cannot make enough to live. The majority of people who are homeless are minorities. Living on the streets has severe emotional and sociological effects on individuals. This essay will focus on what the issue is, how it has become a social problem, who it affects, how government is involved and lastly the economical aspects that also connect with homelessness.

Pan handlers and beggars are not the only people who are homeless. Being unemployed and living with family can be classified as being homeless and can be considered as living on the street. In addition this condition has negative impacts on ones sanity which, can lead to an individual having a decreased sense of wellbeing. What needs to be understood is that homelessness is not a choice but rather, a failure in the community. Moreover no one wakes up and decides to become homeless it can happen to anyone and at any time. The lack of affordable housing and the increase in poverty have severe consequence on individuals which can lead to mental illnesses and substance abuse (Atkey & Sanders, 2007). This crisis has grown dramatically in size over the past years centring in urban cities of Canada such as Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, and Montreal. With the increase in Canadas population many jobs are up for grabs but people, who dont have the essential skills, are finding it harder to get employed (Atkey & Sanders, 2007). Therefore these individuals are paid less for their time and as living

expenses gradually increases these people are unable to meet financial expectations, thus they are evicted from their home and find themselves on the streets. Families, women, students, immigrants and aboriginals are the targets of low income Canadians that need affordable housing. The families suffering from this crisis responded that they fear of being homeless and which they are a paycheque away from being homeless. Nearly one quarter of all new Canadians are paying more than half of their familys income on rent. (Kelly, D., 2007) Housing is the main root cause of homelessness, with a home drug abuse and mental illness would decrease since people turn to drugs when facing difficult times in their lives. When a parent suddenly becomes unemployed the children suffer, leaving them without a home and they are forced to live on the streets. The children cannot go to school due as they do not have a roof over their heads to study and primarily live a balanced life. The parents will eventually lose their children to child services which leads the parents to undergo a great deal of stress and as a result they turn to drugs as a way out of their problems. Young adults who go through difficulties living at home or some kind of abuse will need the right necessities to improve their standard way of life. Without such help they eventually turn to drugs as an outlet of their stress which leads them to a path of poverty. Lack of education and recourses blocks individuals to surmount their living conditions.

The political outlook is that buildings and land are far more important than providing for the citizens of this country. This social injustice toward homeless individuals indicates that they are not of importance when compared to architecture structures. Here a problem arises because land-use law resists democratization (Valverde,& Ranasinghe, 2006, pp.xx-xx). Its the

government who has to see to it that affordable housing is funded and located throughout Canada. This would make it accessible to low income families. In Toronto the crisis of homelessness is visibly noticeable, but instead of building shelters from the federal budget, the municipal governments are not providing enough for the less fortunate. This is the issue of public participation in local policy formation that is one important aspect of democratic principles which is crucial in cases of land-use and (re) zoning matters (Valverde & Ranasinghe, 2006, pp.xx-xx). It is proven that government agents don't provide shelters and affordable housing to those are in need because they figure that if one does not have a permanent place to call a home they are not considered to have rights and therefore they are left to fend for themselves. The CJS journal of sociology notes that in 1999 Premiere Mike Harris passed the safe streets act of 1999. This cruel act banned aggressive panhandling and squeegeeing which meant that homeless individual are not allowed to beg for change from their fellow citizens, therefore they were left to their own devices (Valverde & Ranasinghe,2006). As a result, the prevalence of homeless continues.

Homelessness is the result of economic and social system failures that do not provide enough or adequate access to affordable housing, stable jobs, health care, and some type of a social safety net. Homelessness is a global issue that has been drastically increasing for many decades. An example of this is the large amount of homelessness in the United States that began in the late 70's and early 80's and it is still growing till this day. The cause for the increase of poverty and homelessness was due to the big transition in the United States economic and government, that made massive changes which caused long-standing declines in wages for workers This in turn increased the poverty rates and the demand for affordable housing (Scholar, 2005). All these

changes are what raised the number of individuals who are on the streets. Without a proper economic social system that is made to assist people, homelessness will not be demolished it will just simply grow. Furthermore the aboriginal people in Canada are the ones who are deeply suffering from the oppression of not having a home. The western provinces of Canada which are home to a large population of first nations people lack resources to provide for their own. History once again repeats itself because these individuals who founded North America are pushed out of society once again and are incapable of adapting to the changes in life. Thus they are unable to find adequate housing to call home. In the city of Sioux Lookout, Ontario 99% of homeless individuals are aboriginal people (Sider,2005). This shows that the government lacks involvement in providing more essential resources for the first nation people. Not caring for oneself, lack of education and laws prevent aboriginals from overcoming this crisis known to cause havoc on the entire population. The mandate of the Committee is to identify and eliminate discrimination that may prevent any community member from reaching his or her full potential and to encourage, develop and support initiatives, programs and activities that promote respect, understanding, acceptance and cooperation in the community (Sider, 2005, pp.xx-xx). Therefore the aboriginal people need to take initiative for themselves if they want change or else they will continue to be part of the statistics of homelessness.

The failures in social, economical and political all result in homelessness. Being homeless is a downward spiral due to not having the right resources and not being invested in. social welfare programs. The lack of compassion for the homeless people is growing and society sees them as less significant, thus they are isolated and despised. This situation currently affects homelessness in a number of ways and individuals whom are experiencing homelessness are a diverse mix of

the young, the old and families of children. Affordable housing needs to be established in our ever growing population in Canada. Hence a strategy needs to be implemented in order to house our fellow citizens. More shelters need to be opened in urban areas where the homeless population is great. Stress due to poverty leads to substance abuse which in turn leads to homelessness which affects us all. Since we share public space with these people, we view them as an inconvenience because we have to see them on a daily basis on our streets begging for money. To some they are nuisance because they established a title of being panhandlers and beggars. Furthermore, they take up valuable space when they choose to reside in corners to find shelter. Moreover, homelessness affects our tourism in our cities and this in turn affects our economy. Many people are afraid of the homeless due to the stigmatized portrayal of them as drug addicts and criminals. As a result people are less likely to help these individuals. Furthermore, this belief leads individuals to blame the homeless for their situations rather than the social, economic and political policies that have placed in these dire circumstances. In addition to victim blaming, the Canadian government fails to adequately provide these persons with the help they desperately need. Yearly changes in the political and economic systems ensure that the homeless remain homeless. Furthermore, being homeless is a vicious cycle in which homeless parents give birth on streets and as a result these children grow to become just like their parents. In order to solve this macro level issue several changes need to be put into operation in the social welfare system. Changes such as alterations in the education of these individual must be made. Having an education would enable these individuals to be able to find resources more readily and easily. Consequently, they would have greater independence from the government who has forgotten about them. In addition to greater education, additional funding is needed for social welfare programs. By investing in these programs the rate of homelessness

would decrease. Finally, by passing laws and policies that allow shelters to be constructed more easily homeless individuals would not only have a roof over their heads but also these individuals would gain more assistance in getting off the streets. Moreover, by making affordable housing accessible to a greater percentage of people, the incidence and prevalence of homelessness would decrease. In sum, homelessness is a major social issue that affects everyone. This problem cannot continue to be ignored rather action needs to be taken so that these individuals can have the high quality of living that many of us take for granted.

Reference:

Atkey, J., Sanders, J. (2007). Understanding how homelessness affects us all. Retrieved from:: http://www.headlinestheatre.com/past_work/after_homelessness/KitchenTable_Guide.pdf

Kelly, D. (2007,06,27). Homelessness Canadas defining social issue [ Opinion column]. Retrieved from: http://www.yorkregion.com/opinion/columns/article/577426--homelessnesscanada-s-defining-social-issue

Scholar,H. (2005). Re: What is the Local/Global Connection [Advocacy group]. Retrieved from: http://www.createpeaceathome.org/

Sider,D. (2005). A sociological analysis of root causes of aboriginal homelessness in Sioux Lookout, Ontario(E78.O5S53 2005). Location: The Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

Valverde,M., Ranasinghe,P.,(2006). Governing Homelessness through Land-Use: A Sociolegal Study of the Toronto Shelter Zoning By-Law. The Canadian Journal of Sociology, 31(3). Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20058713