Homelessness In Canada Essay

Still to this day, homelessness is a huge problem in Canada. Far too many people are living without a home, and everyday this rates of homelessness rises. People living without a home are not only missing out on a bed to lie in, but also a place of security that gives a sense of belonging and wellbeing (The PLoS Medicine Editors, 2008). The reasons behind becoming homeless are endless. It could be because of a loss of job, family conflict, violence and abuse, or substance abuse. While there are many other reasons, these are the most common, with drug abuse being the top leading factor (Mallett, 2005). Homelessness is hard to define as it is highly speculated, but most people agree that it includes people who have been living in a shelter, public place, car, abandoned shelter, or another’s residence, and not having a place of their own, for the past seven days (Grinman, Chiu, Redelmeier, Levinson, Kiss,
This degree of homelessness includes sleeping on the streets, or outside, which could essentially be the most dangerous (Norton, Mercier, 2016). The breakdown of family life or the inadequacies of individual heads of household could be the initial cause of being in this degree (Somerville, 1992). Living without a roof increases a person’s vulnerability to experience violence, drug abuse, and majority of the time results in death. Although in many smaller towns such as Portage la Prairie, the amount of people who are roofless is very small, this does not indicate that homelessness is not an issue. This is solely the most visible degree; therefor people assume that because they do not see very many people sleeping on the streets, the problem is non-existent, which is false. This degree is followed by many consequences. Being roofless removes all privacy as people are forced to live outdoors. It also holds many dangers as the weather could claim lives, and take away possible food and water