Abstract In this article, the writer briefly reviews the homelessness crisis afflicting many urban centers in Canada. Specifically, the paper looks at the causes of the problem, the attitudes of politicians and what they have done to combat the scourge. In addition, the writer discusses what can be done to rescue the situation. The writer maintains that social housing and rent supplements will save lives and will also allow Canadian cities to save money by sparing them the burden of having to care for ill and at-risk individuals who lack a roof over their heads.
From the Paper "When one takes the time to probe into the matter, it is fairly clear - and lamentably so - that politicians have done a poor job of creating an official mandate for bureaucrats that makes them accountable, responsive and congenial to the needs of the most vulnerable members of Canadian society. For instance, homeless women contacted by the Toronto Star in a survey conducted within the last year report that government welfare offices who should be offering assistance to the homeless often view them with borderline disdain. Not to be overlooked, women in Toronto who have used that city's shelters in the past detail the troubling absence of security for women leaving the shelters after using their services. Indeed, a woman named Kathy Kunsman reports that sexual predators would literally line up in close proximity to the shelters so that they could accost women as they left."
Abstract This paper discusses how homelessness has been described as a chronic illness affecting all societies regardless of the degree of economic development and overall wealth of the nation. It contends that homelessness seems to be a social ill that, short of mandating public housing facilities for every citizen, cannot be completely eradicated. It also examines how the various research projects that have been tasked with studying this difficult social conundrum have typically approached the issue with strong academic objectives and usually combined with a sincere desire to affect positive change.
Outline
Overview
Homelessness Dimensions of Homelessness
From the Paper "Burt has pointed out the causality of homelessness by identifying its three primary causes: structural, individual and governmental (Burt). Yet, all of these various causes are nuanced and tend to manifest themselves either in unique fashions from one society to another or in a complexity of several of them together. As one homeless individual describes his homelessness, the direct impact that governmental policies, local or national, can have on homelessness, is readily apparent (Kerr par.23). Clearly the impact of urban revitalization can be a real stimulant to homelessness because by removing all the low-income housing in an area without supplying new low income housing elsewhere is guaranteeing an increase in the local homelessness rates. "
Abstract In this essay the writer examines the topic of homelessness in Canada. The paper looks at many different aspects of homelessness in Canada. The central argument discussed is that homelessness is a growing problem throughout Canada and it is getting worse. The writer examines social, political and economic costs.
From the Paper "Homelessness is one of the greatest social problems facing Canada. The problem has become so bad that the Mayors of Canada's largest cities declared homelessness a national disaster. Although homelessness is usually thought of as a problem afflicting Canada's largest cities, homelessness is becoming a problem across Canada. Even in smaller cities like Thunder Bay, Iqaluit and Fort McMurray homelessness seems to be becoming increasingly common. Although homelessness is a problem throughout Canada it is not homogeneous. Different social, political and economic factors are different across Canada."
Abstract Despite years of implementation of social policies, there are still many thousands of Canadians who suffer from poverty and homelessness. This literature review examines the literature that deals with the problem of poverty and homelessness in Canada, as well as the literature that deals with pertinent social policies.
Abstract The paper discusses the urban structure of the capital city of Edinburgh.The paper states that the city has a perky labor and housing market as well as stable growth. The paper also looks at the population,housing supply and demand, as well as the health needs and the various problems that the city has like homeless. poverty etc.
There are five tables included with the paper.
Outline:
Edinburgh and its urban structure
Important statics
Population
Housing Supply and Demand
Owner Occupation
Health Needs
Conclusion
From the Paper "Homelessness applications in Scotland come from all the cities and Edinburgh ranks second in it. However this is about less than a third of the presentations recorded in Glasgow (Scottish Executive, 1999). Voluntary agencies are providing a range of services including hostels, and other facilities for the young people who are homeless and comparatively this is less extensive than the one present in Glasgow and the largest hostel in Edinburgh is Council with 70 bed spaces. The RSI has funded a 'single access point' for the homeless people but there is still a shortfall in hostel accommodation, emergency accommodation in particular. A change will come about though after the projects of RSI become functional fully. A 'Homelessness Liaison Officer' has been appointed by Lothian and Borders Police for Edinburgh. There was street culture in Edinburgh to a certain extent as well. However, homelessness services in Edinburgh have been enhanced significantly and improvements are expected in the future."
Abstract This paper examines several false stereotypes that the American public maintains concerning the homeless population across the country. Unemployment, physical and emotional abuse, disasters or accidents are discussed as causes of homelessness. Also examined are several governmental organizations appointed to deal with the homeless population. While the statistics continue to mount against homeless people, the reasons that Americans seem to pretend not to notice how grave the situation actually is, are detailed.
From the Paper "Many Americans today have several preconceived notions about who homeless people are and why they are homeless. People find that dismissing the homeless as degenerates and bums is easier than realizing that they could possibly be at risk of becoming homeless themselves. America is also in denial about the plague of homelessness that has settled on our nation. Because of attitudes like these, the continually growing problem of homelessness in our country is, for the most part, ignored or believed to be irreparable. The people of America should eliminate the many stereotypes that exist about the homeless population in the country and understand that the problem of homelessness can be helped despite its presumable hopelessness."
Abstract The essay discusses aboriginal housing issues and homelessness. The paper looks at both issues in both urban areas and the reserves. The paper argues the point that the practices of the Canadian government resulted in poverty that in turn has led to housing issues for its aboriginal population.
From the Paper "Aboriginal Housing Issues and Homelessness Housing is a fundamental human need. In general it can be argued that Canadians are well housed. However, not everyone has access to affordable housing. In The Canadian Housing System, James McKellar et al state, Although, overall, Canadians are well housed, a minority of households are unable to obtain market housing that is suitable, adequate, and affordable without paying more than 30 percent of their income (McKellar et al 11). This means that three major issues occur in terms of housing. These are obtaining housing, obtaining affordable housing and obtaining adequate housing."
Abstract This paper describes the daily life of homeless women, their daily struggles and how they manage to get through it all. It looks at programs and welfare available to assist them and whether these are beneficial.
From the Paper "At times, spiritual jargon is heard from homeless women. A homeless mother from the Interfaith Hospitality Network, Tina, exclaims, ?God has blessed me with these wonderful children. He really has. I am really having a tough time right now, but I know that God will take care of us.? On various occasions Tina voices her faith in God, and during the beginning of the semester I found it interesting and almost admirable that she could still have faith in God considering that she is living in an emergency homeless shelter. Tina is a mother of eight children from seven different men, energetic, social, active, appears to be involved in her children's lives, and wears her emotions on her sleeve. At IHN, she shows indications of being a trauma survivor and her children display split images of her. One selection from the autobiographical readings about homeless women from I Have Arrived Before My Words: Autobiographical Writings of Homeless of Women, edited by Deborah Pugh and Jeanie Tietjen, is filled with spiritual jargon. Gayle, one of the contributors to the book, writes passages filled with teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous. The representation of the homeless mother intrigues me as Gayle shared many characteristics with Tina. They both are suffering through power struggles with alcohol, homelessness, and abuse."
Abstract This paper discusses the jargon of "globalization" and what we are to call "homelessness" in relation to topics of urban geography, medical geography, and implications for planners. The paper discusses long term implications of a permanent under-class, as predictable symptom of the modernization theory that is part and parcel of globalization's neo-liberal growth model.
From the Paper "Globalization and 'Homelessness' in Central Toronto. Introductory Discussion The euphemism of 'Globalization' that is used to refer to neo-liberal economic planning involves the removal of safety net spending in developed economies. A second euphemism is found in globalization's unwanted by-product of severe unwanted poverty among those we are accustomed to discussing, now, as "the homeless", a phenomenon that is a side-effect of the economic model that now prevails. By examining the example of central Toronto's vagrant destitution, one sees duplicated a phenomenon known in most Western cities, of the present, and with increasing homeless also reported in the notoriously strong economy of Japan. (Hasegawa: 2005)"
Abstract This paper is based on Chapter 14 of F. Frisken's book entitled "The Changing Canadian Metropolis", which is called "Urban Sprawl in the Montreal Area - Policies and Trends" by Francois Charbonneau, Pierre Hamel and Michel Barcelo. The author points out that this chapter is about urban sprawl in Montreal and how it is affecting the city itself, particularly the city center of Montreal, because, with the increase in suburbanization, the center has become like a ghost town of sorts. The paper relates that the government implemented some policies, but these were ineffective.
From the Paper "Chapter 14 of F. Frisken's book entitled "The Changing Canadian Metropolis" is called "Urban Sprawl in the Montreal Area - Policies and Trends" by Francois Charbonneau, Pierre Hamel and Michel Barcelo. The title of this article aptly represents what it is about. It is an effective analysis of the phenomenon of urban sprawl in Montreal. The authors of the article describe the problem of urban sprawl, its timeline, and what led to the problem in the first place. Next, they discuss the policies that the Quebec government used to try and deal with the issue, and what other influences affected the outcome of the policies."
Abstract The 1900 to 1930 period was one of economic boom in Canada. This period, therefore, marks the era of modern real estate. This brief paper looks at the development of property and real estate during this 30 year period. In doing so, a very brief historical sketch of urban development is given, along with the factors that led to extensive urbanization and property development.
Abstract This paper analyzes and compares Irish migrant settlement in the United States and Canada in the nineteenth century. It looks at the traditional historical models for these respective settlements and suggests that they have tended to emphasize the urban nature of the American settlement and the rural nature of the Canadian one. The paper concludes, however, that the settlement patterns of the Irish immigrants are far more complex than these models suggest. The paper then analyzes and discusses these points.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Historical Tradition
Historical Debate and Dissent
The Value of Comparative Analysis
Conclusion
From the Paper "In this comparative analysis of the settlement patterns of Irish immigrants in Canada and the United States, we have seen the importance of a detailed understanding of the historical debate. In both countries, it seems that the settlement patterns of the Irish immigrants followed precedents established by existing immigrant populations as the Irish settlement patterns and living conditions mirrored the often rural communities in which they settled. Thus, as historians agree, it is very difficult to generalize for Irish Canadians as a whole in this regard. Given that the United States was more urbanized than Canada, the Irish immigrants in this environment were likewise more urbanized, but not more so than other immigrant groups at this time. Indeed, their settlement patterns and living conditions - often hard, and working class, in the poorer areas of cities - seemed to mirror that of other immigrants in the United States in a similar way to the Irish immigrants' settlement patterns in Canada reflecting the communities in which they lived."
Abstract The book and the two articles chosen for review were selected as they represent critical "bookends" in the field of Canadian urban geography during the formative period in which immigration transformed physical and social landscapes of Canada's cities. As this review demonstrates, while Donald Kerr's and Jacob Spelt's "The Changing Face of Toronto: A Study in Urban Geography" explores the geography of Toronto as both a "natural" and a human construct, articles by Carlos Teixeira and Gilles Lavigne on how Portuguese immigration has shaped residential neighbourhoods in Montreal and Toronto focus on the human element in the shaping of space.
Abstract The paper deals at length with the problem of homeless persons and states that while the homeless population is increasing steadily, the number of children amongst this population has seen the steepest incline. The paper reports that the Institute for Children and Poverty has shown that nearly millions of adolescents are experiencing homelessness. This staggering number means that nearly 2% of all children and approximately 10% of all poor children in America are presently homeless. The paper deals extensively with the problem of educating homeless children by exploring the strategies and tactics put forward by the McKinney-Vento Act in educating homeless children.
Outline:
Introduction
Background of the Study
Current Issues in Government Policies
Statement of the Problem
Significance of the Study
Purpose of the Study
Research Questions
Methodology
Research Method and Design
Data Collection
Data Evaluation
Definitions of Homelessness and Problems Associated with the Definition
The Educational Rights of Homeless Children
Strategies Implemented
Conclusion and Discussion
From the Paper "As mentioned above, during the 1970's the streets of America, during the night, were increasingly being occupied by adults and children alike for spending their nights. This phenomenon was exposed by the media and the social advocates along with the policy makers chipped in to being a social change particularly in the education sector. However, research shows that more people, particularly families with small children, are homeless today than they were in the 1970's and the number is steeply rising (Hafetz, 2003). Burt (2001) argued that the while the country progressed economically all through the 1990's, the trickle down affect of this progress could not be seen. In fact, on the contrary, the housing industry got more pressure, which resulted in the increased rents and lack of affordable housing (Burt, 2001). Therefore, homelessness has once again got the front page attention from the media. "
Abstract This paper discusses the high incidence of mental illness among the homeless and takes a look at the possible connection between homelessness and mental illness. The paper discusses the adverse impact of homelessness on the treatment of mental illness and looks at whether homelessness causes psychiatric distress, or whether mentally ill people are homeless because of their psychiatric disorder.
From the Paper "For more than three decades researchers have sought to determine the nature of the relationship between mental illness and homelessness due to the pervasiveness of mental illness in this population. Most recent studies indicated that approximately one-quarter to one-third of the homeless population suffered from a serious mental illness."
