Homelessness in Toronto

Essay # 101846

Canadian Studies
Sociology > Theory
Sociology > Welfare

This paper examines homelessness in Toronto within the context of the different definitions for the term "community" and proposes ways to reduce homelessness in this city.

1,725 words () | 8 sources | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the homeless community can be seen as a community because they are people trapped in a common cycle from which they would like to escape, with common interests in finding shelter and adequate food, which often compels them to act in unison performing petty crime as a means of survival. The author points out that, if the burgeoning homeless problem in Toronto is not addressed, then the community of Toronto will start to see an increase in crime and movement out of the areas populated by homeless people thus creating impoverished pockets within the city. The paper recommends that funds, which have been earmarked for homeless shelters and other programs should be spent rather than be languishing somewhere because of bureaucratic red-tape. The author suggest that this money should be invested in re-training programs and the conversion of brown fields areas into affordable housing condominiums for the working poor.

From the Paper:

"Toronto's homeless situation can also be looked at by looking at Marxist definitions of what a community is - or, more precisely, what it is not. For instance, those academics who subscribe to Marxist theory maintain that communities are manifestations of the class dialectic; in other words, communities are organized in such a way as to ensure the exploitation of some by others at the same time as they reveal the inequalities present in a capitalist society. While this assessment of the community can be dismissed as unduly cynical and extreme, there is little doubt that Toronto is a city of extremes."

Sample of Sources Used:

Beeby, Dean. "70M for Homeless not spent." Toronto Star 20 Feb. 2007 A06.
City of Toronto. "What is the current state of homelessness in our city?" City of Toronto: Report Card on Homelessness. 2000. City of Toronto. 22 Feb. 2007 <http://www.toronto.ca/homelessness/2000/current.htm>
"Community: Definition." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 21 Feb. 2007 <http://www.answers.com/topic/community>
"Too Many are Blind to 'Crisis': Eggleton." Toronto Star 31 Jan. 2007: A06.
Oldenquist, Andrew, and Menachem Rosner, eds. Alienation, Community, and Work. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991. Questia. 22 Feb. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=23314812>.