Homelessness & Discrimination in Society

Homelessness is a problem that affects many people in our society. The number of homeless people has increased over the years, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to find housing for everyone. Homelessness is often associated with negative stereotypes and discrimination. These stereotypes can lead to discrimination against homeless people, which can make it harder for them to get help.

One example of discrimination against homeless people is when people think they are more likely to be violent or drug-using than other citizens. However, the most common cause for homelessness is actually job loss. Due to these negative stereotypes, many people who become homeless feel too ashamed to ask people they know for help because they know they will be negatively perceived by others. Not only that, but this belief has been shown to make people less likely to help them, which then leads them to become worse off than they already were! A few other examples of discrimination that homeless people face is when areas prohibit homeless people for using or accessing their services such as parks and restaurants.

Stereotypes about homeless people are rampant, and they can be damaging to their overall well-being. For example, many people believe that homeless people are lazy, unworthy of help or sympathy, and likely to be criminals—but this couldn't be further from the truth! In fact, many homeless people face discrimination on a daily basis because they have no place to live or seek shelter. They often have limited access to healthcare and other services because they don't have an address or phone number with which they can register for programs to help them. Therefore, they must rely on charity organizations for help instead of accessing government-funded services like these programs would otherwise provide them with.

To conclude, public awareness about homelessness needs to be drastically improved. By having more people talking about homelessness openly, it will remove some of the stigma surrounding homelessness and therefore eliminate majority of negative stereotypes and discrimination that homeless people face daily. This is the first step to solving the problem. By getting people talking about homelessness, more people will become more aware of it and better able to help those suffering from it.

Works Cited

1. Garrett, Zachery. “Canadian Study Suggests Stereotypes about Homeless People Are Wrong - the Sullivan Foundation.” Sullivan Foundation, 9 Oct. 2020, sullivanfdn.org/new-leaf-project/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2022.

2. Homeless Hub. “Discrimination | the Homeless Hub.” Homelesshub.ca, 2018, www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/legal-justice-issues/discrimination. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.

3. ---. “Myths and Questions about Homelessness | the Homeless Hub.” Homelesshub.ca, 2019, www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/homelessness-101/myths-and-questions-about-homelessness. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.

4. Truong, Shirley V. ““Please Do Not Feed the Homeless:” the Role of Stereotyping and Media Framing on the Criminalization of Homelessness.” Escholarship.org, 2013, escholarship.org/uc/item/9jv4v5nw. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.

5. United Nations. “OHCHR | Homelessness and Human Rights.” OHCHR, 2022, www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-housing/homelessness-and-human-rights. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.

Researcher: Ayesha Khattak

Editor: Sumaya Osman

Published: February 6th 2023