Is homelessness a modern problem or has it been around forever?

Homelessness, simply defined, is the absence of a place to live. The key to understanding what it is and why it exists is accepting that homelessness is a modern issue and not something that people have been struggling with for centuries.

In the past, most Canadians had access to housing. Cost of living was cheaper, there were more resources and society simply functioned differently. The Great Depression and the Second World War surely triggered an increase in the rates of homeless people across Canada , but it was not until the 1980’s that homelessness was viewed as a social problem

(despite being present for several decades prior). This sudden increase in social awareness was due to the fact that the UN started to focus on ensuring that everyone had access to safe and affordable housing.

They began with the less developed countries and later realized that the issue of homelessness affected hundreds and thousands in Canada as well, despite it being a developed country. As time went by, the problem only continued to grow worse with an evident increase in the number of people struggling with it. Statistics now show that about

36% of Canadians have been homeless at some point in their lives or have known someone homeless. The youth accounts for about 3,300 to 10,000 of more than 235,000 people in Canada who experience homelessness in a given year. Finally, the Indigenous people, who account for only 4.3 % of the Canadian population, make up between 28 and 34 percent of the homeless shelter population. A devastating but important fact, these statistics highlight the prevalence of homelessness all around Canada.

Poverty, unemployment, family problems, mental health issues, addictions, and discrimination are only a few of the many reasons why homelessness is so prevalent in today’s society. These problems have only grown over the years, causing an increase in the percentage of homeless people. Along with many non-profit organizations and the government working to alleviate this issue, the public is becoming more aware and taking action against homelessness by donating, volunteering, and advocating as much as they can. Providing them with recyclables, donating clothing, food, and toys, volunteering at a soup kitchen, fundraising, and tutoring kids experiencing homelessness are only some ways that we can help with the issue. But the first step to combating this issue is understanding what it is and acknowledging that it is a modern social problem that needs our immediate attention.

Works Cited

1. Cousins, Ben. “Canada's Rate of Homelessness May Be Higher than Reported: Nanos Survey.” CTVNews, CTV News, 12 Aug. 2020, www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-s-rate-of-homelessness-may-be-higher-than-reported-nanos-survey-1.5060801.

2. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. “Insights on Canadian SocietyHidden Homelessness in Canada Insights on Canadian SocietyHidden Homelessness in Canada.” Hidden Homelessness in Canada, 15 Nov. 2016, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2016001/article/14678-eng.htm.

3. “Homelessness in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/homelessness-in-canada.

4. Strobel, Stephenson, et al. “This Study Uses Comprehensive Administrative Health Data from Emergency Department Visits to Enumerate People Experiencing Homelessness and Characterize Demographic and Geographic Trends in the Province of Ontario, Canada.” Characterizing People Experiencing Homelessness and Trends in Homelessness Using Population-Level Emergency Department Visit Data in Ontario, Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, 20 Jan. 2021, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2021001/article/00002-eng.htm.

5. “What Is Homelessness?” What Is Homelessness? | The Homeless Hub, homelesshub.ca/resource/what-homelessness.

6. “Youth Homelessness.” Youth Without Shelter, https://yws.on.ca/who-we-are/youth-homelessness/

7. “What Is Homelessness? - Raising the Roof | Preventing Homelessness.” Raising the Roof | Preventing Homelessness, https://raisingtheroof.org/what-is-homelessness/.

8. “35 Ways to Help the Homeless – JustGive.” JustGive, https://www.facebook.com/WordPresscom, 11 Dec. 2013, https://justgive.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/35-ways-to-help-the-homeless/.

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Writer: Amrit Kaur (Editor from Power to the Youth Toronto)

Editor: Pallavi Hooda (Editor lead from Power to the Youth Toronto)

Researcher: Kaavya Patel (Researcher from Power to the Youth Toronto)

Date published: January 26th 2022