The Truth about Homelessness

Poverty and homelessness are the two fastest growing epidemics Canadians face in the 21^st century. It is also the most ignored. Citizens all over the country have taken a NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) approach to these issues for the past ten years. As long as they can’t see it, it’s not there. I bet their attitude would change if they learned taxpayers were on the hook for roughly $4.5 billion annually in caring for the homeless. These costs include shelter operations, health care and hospital visits, justice (policing, holding cells, court appearances, etc., heck, lets add the cost of the paper that’s used to write tickets), and treatment programs for addictions and mental illness, and many more. As a comparison, the reduction of the GST in 2006 from 7% - 6% saved taxpayers a mere $4.35 billion.

Despite my residence in Calgary, the home of Canada’s best economy – even in the recession – and home to Canada’s third highest sheltered homeless population, I am going to try to keep things in a national approach. After all, 2006 estimates state that there are roughly 150,000 homeless in Canada. If we add couch surfers, and other temporary homeless, that could rise up to 200,000 – 300,000 at any given point of time. 1 in 10 Canadians live below the poverty line. 1 in 7 Canadians pay 30% or more of their household income on shelter. That includes those who own their own home. Renters are the most hard pressed, in many cases paying around 40% of their household income. Canada’s 2001 Census stated that over 700,000 Canadians were paying 50% or more of their household income on shelter.

Some of the stereotypes about the homeless are true, but we can no longer blame the nationwide pandemic on addictions, or mental health, or medication, or crime. In a 2006 Environs Survey, 49% of Canadians said they believed they would be poverty stricken if they missed one or two paycheques. 66% of homeless listed either a lack of income or the rising cost of housing as the reason they live on the street.

However, the lack of income is not due to laziness, or refusal to work. A 2009 Salvation Army report states that more than one – quarter of Canadian homeless work. This number is the highest in the Prairies (48%) and lowest in the Atlantic Provinces (8%). Here in Calgary, The Mustard Seed Shelter estimates about 60% of its guests work some of the time. At the Calgary Drop In and Rehabilitation Centre, they say about 40% work 32 hours or more a week, 17% work part-time, and 33% also do some temp work. That being said, it’s likely that some of the 33% also belong to one of the two former categories. Obviously, it’s not for a lack of trying.

There is a dark side to homelessness, however. The Salvation Army reports that 41% of Canadian homeless suffer from addictions. British Columbia reported the highest, and Quebec the lowest, with 51% and 15% respectively, admitting to addictions. For starters, these individuals probably will not be fit for work anytime soon, and need treatment. The problem? The waiting list for many detox centres and recovery houses are sometimes months long – and that’s if you’re being fast-tracked. It is also important to note that many of these people were not exposed to the drug they eventually became addicted to until they were on the streets. From there, because of easy access and target black market marketing strategies, an addiction becomes a disease that spreads and infects among the homeless. Alcoholism, crack/cocaine, crystal meth, and heroine are just some of the more common addictions you will see among the homeless community, and with the exception of alcohol, the majority of these addictions usually are contracted after an individual becomes homeless.

Many homeless also suffer from mental illness. The Canadian average for mental illness among the homeless is 33%, a number which does not differ much in most regions across the country. I cannot say whether mental illness leads to homelessness, but I am certain that a lack of treatment can. And often times, it is very difficult to access proper treatment. Waiting lists for treatment can be anywhere from two weeks to six months, and even when one does eventually get in, the doctors and therapists are so understaffed that they likely won’t be seeing them as often as they should in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Most, if not all, shelters do not have any staff equipped really to deal with disorders such as general anxiety disorder, schizophrenia (which is surprisingly rare, even among the homeless, at only 5.7%), and other mental health issues. Because a homeless individual is less likely to get the support they need, they are less likely to keep a job, or find permanent housing.

Now that the truth about homelessness has been exposed, here are my recommendations for trying to fix these problems. This is a break from my previous essays in which I expose the problem, but offer little in the ways of solutions.

· I recommend the federal, provincial, and municipal Governments dedicate at least 5% each of their total budgets to re-integrating the homeless into the mainstream of society. This includes addictions treatment, adequate health services, mental health initiatives targeting the homeless and those who are at risk of becoming homeless, and events to help build a fractured relationship between the homeless and the mainstream citizens of the municipality.

· Ten year plans have been shown to drastically reduce the number of homelessness in cities such as Detroit, Seattle and San Francisco. I would encourage municipalities and provinces that have not done so to consider this option thoroughly. If your city or province already has one, they should perform an honest and transparent evaluation on its progress on a regular basis. Teeray has an excellent hub on ten year plans, and I will include it in the links section.

· Instead of cities just buying-up land to build low income housing, they should consider purchasing already existing buildings for the purpose of low-income housing or apartments. They should be spread out among a variety of communities, including the suburbs, so as to avoid establishing a ghetto.

· Living wages should be policy at most businesses. Each province, in addition to the established minimum wage, should also have a guideline for what constitutes a living wage, so as businesses that do have a living wage policy have something to go on.

· 35% of the homeless population in Canada is aboriginal, even in urban areas. The federal and provincial governments should commit to trades training for aboriginal youth. I recommend an age of 15 years or older as a target group.

· In 1989, the federal government committed to reducing child poverty by the year 2000. It is now 2009 and the number of families living in shelters has almost doubled, and children living in shelters (including youth shelters) has almost tripled. We need to recommit to solving child poverty. After all, a child living in poverty, even housed poverty, will be more likely to end up homeless. A good start is to increase the child tax benefit.

· Finally, there must be more measures in place designed to prevent poverty and homelessness. Right now a family on welfare, even if one member can earn income, is still well below the poverty line. I’m working on the theory that enough welfare to keep a family above the poverty line will mean more money monthly, but most likely for a shorter period of time. I’m not saying they need to be thousands of dollars above the Low Income Cut Off (LICO), but I do believe that if they are kept floating just above the poverty line, it allow them to live relatively comfortably with a peace of mind, and still allow them to save and eventually come off income supports sooner.

If these policies are implemented, we may see a change sooner than we think.