Homelessness In Canada
Out In The Cold: Canada’s Response to the Homeless
Brando Peso
Concordia University
I chose this social group through a personal experience with my best friend, Susan, who lost her brother to alcohol consumption and to a life on the streets in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. This paper is limited to Canada and its provinces and territories and discusses homelessness, offering a demographic profile, needs, legal jurisdictions and key policies and programs that address the principal needs of the homeless.
Defining "Homelessness" in Canada
The way a problem is defined has important policy implications: not only can the definition influence the perceived extent of the problem, …show more content…
On the one hand, it is a prosperous nation of over 30 million people with over 80% of the population living in urban areas. The Organization for Economic Development and Co-operation (OECD) sites Canada for its strong, economic performance including having recorded national budget surpluses for the past 11 years (OECD, 2008). Yet, despite this, Canada’s government is not meeting the needs of the homeless population as we can see from this paper. The lack of reliable data may limit Canada’s ability to address homelessness and has been a focus for international criticism. During a visit to Canada in October 2007, for example, the then-UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Miloon Kothari, reported that he “was disappointed that the Government could not provide reliable statistics on the number of homeless” (Kothari, 2007). The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has voiced similar concerns (OHCHR, …show more content…
et al., Homelessness, PRB 99-1E, Parliamentary Information and Research Service Library of Parliament, Ottawa, 8 January 1999, p. 8.
CBC: The Fifth Estate, No Way Home, 10 March 2004
CHAU, S. B. Y., & GAWLIUK, M. (2009). Social Housing Policy for Homeless Canadian Youth.
City of Calgary, Community and Neighbourhood Services (2008, p. i )
City of Toronto, “2006 Street Needs Assessment: Results and Key Findings,” Toronto Staff Report, 20 June 2006, p. 3, http://www.toronto.ca/housing/pdf/streetneedsassessment.pdf.
Dan la rue, Montreal Retrieved from http://www.danslarue.com/en/services November 23 2011 Echenberg, H., & Jensen, H. (2008). Defining and enumerating homelessness in Canada:
Parliamentary Information and Research Service.
Girard, M. Determining the Extent of the Problem: The Value and Challengers of Enumeration, Canadian Review of Social Policy, Vol. 58, 2006, p. 104.
Gordon, L. (2010, Aug.8). Examination of Canadian Shelters. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/Canada/story/2007/06/26/shelter.html (22 November 2011)
Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness (2008, p. 1)
Homeless in Canada (2010) Retrieved from http://www.intraspec.ca/homelessCanada.php (23 November
Brando Peso
Concordia University
I chose this social group through a personal experience with my best friend, Susan, who lost her brother to alcohol consumption and to a life on the streets in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. This paper is limited to Canada and its provinces and territories and discusses homelessness, offering a demographic profile, needs, legal jurisdictions and key policies and programs that address the principal needs of the homeless.
Defining "Homelessness" in Canada
The way a problem is defined has important policy implications: not only can the definition influence the perceived extent of the problem, …show more content…
On the one hand, it is a prosperous nation of over 30 million people with over 80% of the population living in urban areas. The Organization for Economic Development and Co-operation (OECD) sites Canada for its strong, economic performance including having recorded national budget surpluses for the past 11 years (OECD, 2008). Yet, despite this, Canada’s government is not meeting the needs of the homeless population as we can see from this paper. The lack of reliable data may limit Canada’s ability to address homelessness and has been a focus for international criticism. During a visit to Canada in October 2007, for example, the then-UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Miloon Kothari, reported that he “was disappointed that the Government could not provide reliable statistics on the number of homeless” (Kothari, 2007). The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has voiced similar concerns (OHCHR, …show more content…
et al., Homelessness, PRB 99-1E, Parliamentary Information and Research Service Library of Parliament, Ottawa, 8 January 1999, p. 8.
CBC: The Fifth Estate, No Way Home, 10 March 2004
CHAU, S. B. Y., & GAWLIUK, M. (2009). Social Housing Policy for Homeless Canadian Youth.
City of Calgary, Community and Neighbourhood Services (2008, p. i )
City of Toronto, “2006 Street Needs Assessment: Results and Key Findings,” Toronto Staff Report, 20 June 2006, p. 3, http://www.toronto.ca/housing/pdf/streetneedsassessment.pdf.
Dan la rue, Montreal Retrieved from http://www.danslarue.com/en/services November 23 2011 Echenberg, H., & Jensen, H. (2008). Defining and enumerating homelessness in Canada:
Parliamentary Information and Research Service.
Girard, M. Determining the Extent of the Problem: The Value and Challengers of Enumeration, Canadian Review of Social Policy, Vol. 58, 2006, p. 104.
Gordon, L. (2010, Aug.8). Examination of Canadian Shelters. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/Canada/story/2007/06/26/shelter.html (22 November 2011)
Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness (2008, p. 1)
Homeless in Canada (2010) Retrieved from http://www.intraspec.ca/homelessCanada.php (23 November