Introduction
Homelessness, a widespread problem that affects individuals, families, and small groups, requires a comprehensive, complex approach with many essential aspects. Affordable housing, which helps homeless people find homes, is crucial. Stable and affordable housing helps people and families repair their lives and strive toward a better future. Addressing homelessness requires more than just homes. This demands a comprehensive strategy that addresses the different needs and problems of homeless people. Career possibilities are essential. Create paths to employment and job training programs for homeless people to get the skills and tools to find sustainable work. This restores financial independence, self-esteem, and purpose.
Mental health treatments are crucial to ending homelessness. We can reduce homelessness and support the most vulnerable by implementing a comprehensive strategy that addresses these fundamental components. This research explores the many repercussions of homelessness on individuals, families, and society. This study seeks to analyze the social effects of homelessness through thorough research. Our institute aims to understand the significant issues faced by homeless people and the far-reaching effects of this issue on society through intensive study. We strive to understand this critical problem better and improve treatments and support systems by examining the causes, products, and possible solutions.
This extensive research examines the complex relationships between many causes of homelessness. It seeks to illuminate how affordable housing, employment prospects, mental health services, and social assistance affect homelessness. This study examines effective homelessness solutions and advocates for inclusive and comprehensive solutions that prioritize the well-being of all involved parties.
MICRO: Overview of Homelessness and Affordable Housing
Homelessness hurts individuals, families, and communities. It is a challenging problem that cannot be fully solved without considering the underlying issues and alternative solutions. Homelessness drains people’s finances, both personally and collectively. For those struggling to find affordable housing, every dollar counts. Wolters Kluwer Health found that debt and unemployment are major risk factors for homelessness. These factors even explain the greater homelessness risk associated with severe mental illness (Health, n.d.). The study also found that financial stress mediates the association between homelessness and mental illness, accounting for 39% of the link. Financial difficulty must be the main focus of individual and community homelessness prevention activities (Health, n.d.)
Proactive interventions can improve financial literacy and well-being to prevent future homelessness (Health, n.d.). Those without housing also battle with mental health. Homeless people experience more stress, anxiety, and unhappiness. Pre-existing mental health conditions may worsen when people are homeless. It may hinder their capacity to find permanent housing and jobs (Padgett, 2020). The National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) discovered that homelessness increases stress, anxiety, and depression. Sheppard (2021) also found that homelessness worsens pre-existing mental health issues. This exacerbation further complicates their ability to obtain permanent housing and work. Preventing homelessness requires emphasizing mental health services for homeless people. These actions may benefit individuals or the community.
According to Sheppard (2021), mental health and general welfare measures may be implemented. These activities may reduce the severity of situations that might lead to homelessness. Homelessness has devastating effects on families. The National Alliance to End Homelessness (2022) reports that families need larger homes to accommodate their growing families and provide childcare and schooling. Families may need affordable housing to sustain stability (The Impact of Housing Affordability on Families, n.d.). Homelessness prevention strategies should prioritize affordable housing options for families at the individual and community levels.
According to The Impact of Housing Affordability on Families (n.d.), initiatives should strategically improve financial literacy and well-being. This method may reduce future homelessness. Additionally, many programs offer rental assistance and affordable housing for families. Homelessness also affects society more broadly. Homelessness may increase crime. Homeless people may steal or sell drugs to meet their fundamental requirements. Homelessness may also lead to a lack of secure housing, allowing criminals to operate surreptitiously in certain areas.
MEZZO: Homelessness at the Organizational Level
According to Hagai et al.’s 2020 study, organizational homelessness is multifaceted and often characterized by systemic oppression, such as racial discrimination, gender inequity, and socioeconomic class disparities. These variables may indicate how philanthropic groups, commercial businesses, and churches treat the homeless. Homelessness has historically been caused by societal injustice and inequality. According to 2020 research by Hagai et al., these distinctions are often reflected in how different groups interact with homeless persons. Social organizations, companies, and places of worship may exhibit racial, gender, and socioeconomic class biases when serving homeless individuals.
This may worsen marginalization and homelessness. Homeless persons are sometimes shunned and expelled from religious organizations due to their housing. However, some religious communities are helping homeless people. Churches and mosques are venues where people can make lasting friendships and gather socially and spiritually. These groups promote community and belonging, according to Baluk (n.d.). Nevertheless, faith-based groups encounter several obstacles, including a historical or perceived tendency to engage in exclusionary practices based on individual identities. The presence of stigma and exclusion can exacerbate the marginalization of those experiencing homelessness, impeding their access to essential resources and support (Baluk, n.d.).
In order to surmount these obstacles, specific faith-based organizations have undertaken deliberate endeavours to tackle the issue of homelessness. These endeavours frequently encompass providing resources and assistance to those experiencing homelessness, including providing temporary housing, meals, and counselling services (Andy, n.d.). Through their efforts, these groups have the potential to dismantle the negative perceptions and stereotypes surrounding homelessness while simultaneously offering essential assistance to those experiencing homelessness, facilitating their successful reintegration into stable housing situations (Andy, n.d.).
There is a strong correlation between the junction of oppressions, including gender, racism, and socioeconomic status, and the lived experience of homelessness. The intersectionality of oppression multiplies homelessness by creating a unique combination of disadvantages and benefits for people due to society’s many degrees of discrimination. Intersectionality may also benefit gender research. According to Naeh (2020), gender, racial prejudice, and socioeconomic position contribute to women’s higher homeless rate than males. This complexity calls attention to the necessity for gender-based approaches to ending women’s homelessness.
MACRO: Homelessness at the Government Level
The Canadian federal government has implemented several measures to combat homelessness. Programs like “Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy” aim to end homelessness in Canada by providing stable, affordable, and secure housing for everybody and addressing its root causes (Government of Canada, 2022). Indigenous communities face unique challenges; thus, the policy has dedicated more cash to fight homelessness. It also prioritizes ending rural and remote homelessness, often overlooked (Government of Canada, 2022). The Canadian federal government offers several housing cost-reduction programs than Reaching Home.
The First-Time Home Buyer Incentive helps qualified first-time homebuyers reduce financing costs with government aid (Canada, 2022). The Canada Housing Benefit provides direct financial assistance to Canadians in need of housing. Provinces and territories collaborated to create this initiative in 2020. The federal government has proposed allocating $475 million in the fiscal year 2022-2023 to provide a $500 single payment to people struggling to afford housing (Canada, 2022). Despite these initiatives, Canadian homelessness remains a significant issue. The latest 2014 data suggest that 35,000 Canadians are homeless on any one night and 235,000 years (Rech, 2019). This suggests that the government’s measures must be revised to solve the situation.
Notwithstanding these endeavors, homelessness continues to be a substantial concern in Canada. The most current statistics from 2014 estimate that 35,000 Canadians are homeless each night and 235,000 each year (Rech, 2019). This implies that the government’s attempts to solve the problem are relevant and substantial. Even with these efforts, the problem’s scope and scale have yet to be fully addressed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, several complex causes interact to cause homelessness. Poor income, a lack of affordable housing, and mental health difficulties contribute to homelessness. We can better comprehend homelessness by exploring its many causes. Discrimination, injustice, and stigma worsen these issues socially. Racism, sexism, and classism may worsen institutional homelessness. Many organizations have done little to aid people experiencing homelessness, but religious institutions have. “Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy” and others are federal housing insecurity programs. Despite these efforts, homelessness persists, highlighting the need for more comprehensive solutions.
These findings support the paper’s primary claim that ending homelessness requires a multimodal approach emphasizing secure housing, jobs, mental health treatment, and social assistance. The thesis emphasizes the importance of societal attitudes and policies prioritizing understanding, compassion, and aid above stigma and discrimination. Focusing on and treating homelessness’s root causes may significantly reduce its negative consequences for mental and physical health, economic stability, and community well-being. This supports the idea that ending homelessness requires a diversified approach. Despite progress in eradicating homelessness, more must be done. More human and organizational interventions and government policy improvements are needed to end homelessness and ensure everyone has secure, affordable, and safe housing.
References
Andy. (n.d.). Stigma & Social Isolation | IGH Hub. Ighhub.org. https://ighhub.org/understanding-homelessness/causes-intersections/stigma-social-isolation
Baluk, K. W. (n.d.). Public libraries and faith-based organizations join forces to address homelessness. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/public-libraries-and-faith-based-organizations-join-forces-to-address-homelessness-169895
Canada, D. of F. (2022, April 7). Making Housing More Affordable. Www.canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2022/04/making-housing-more-affordable.html
Government of Canada. (2022, March 31). Infrastructure Canada – About Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy. Www.infrastructure.gc.ca. https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/homelessness-sans-abri/index-eng.html
Health, W. K. (n.d.). Financial strain predicts the future risk of homelessness and partly explains the effect of mental illness. Medicalxpress.com. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-03-financial-strain-future-homelessness-partly.html
Naeh. (2020, June 4). Increases in Individual Homelessness: A Gender Analysis. National Alliance to End Homelessness. https://endhomelessness.org/blog/increases-in-individual-homelessness-a-gender-analysis/
National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2022). National Alliance to End Homelessness. National Alliance to End Homelessness. https://endhomelessness.org/
Padgett, D. K. (2020). Homelessness, housing instability and mental health: Making the connections. BJPsych Bulletin, 44(5), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2020.49
Rech, N. (2019, April 29). Homelessness in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia. Thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/homelessness-in-canada
Sheppard, S. (2021, April 16). The Correlation Between Homelessness and Mental Health. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/homelessness-impacts-mental-health-4783106
The impact of housing affordability on families. (n.d.). Cost of Home. https://www.habitat.org/costofhome/housing-affordability-and-families
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