Articles for the Topic "Homeless Hub Report Series"

Can I See Your ID? The Policing of Youth Homelessness in Toronto

2011-11-09T12:56:06

Homelessness, and its visibility, is back in the news in Toronto. Concerns about the scourge of panhandling have once again surfaced in local media with city councillors regularly weighing in on the ‘problem’. With little evidence that there is a dramatic increase in the numbers of people sleeping in parks or ‘aggressively’ panhandling on sidewalks, calls are once again being made for a law and order response to address this highly visible manifestation of urban poverty; to crack down on homelessness with tougher laws and stricter enforcement. All of this raises important questions about how we respond to homelessness in Canada. What does it say about Canadians when popular thought suggests that the appropriate way to address the problem of homelessness is through law enforcement? Is the use of police in dealing with people who are homeless as much a part of the Canadian response to homelessness as is the provision of shelter beds, soup kitchens and street outreach? And perhaps most importantly, what is the impact of a law and order approach to homelessness on the lives of people who experience such extreme poverty? This report sets out to document the criminalization of homelessness in Canada by exploring the relationship between homeless persons – in particular, street youth - and law enforcement officials (both the police and private security). Drawing from over 240 interviews with street youth in Toronto in 2009, as well as a review of official statistics on Ontario Safe Streets Act tickets in Toronto over the past 11 years, we explore the ways in which homelessness has been criminalized through a law and order agenda. Effective policy should be informed by research, not developed as a response to moral panics. Our research raises serious questions about the use of law enforcement as a strategy to address the visibility of homelessness in Canada.

Family Matters: Homeless Youth & Eva’s Initiative’s Family Reconnect Program

2011-04-12T09:26:35

Homeless Hub Report Series - Young people become homeless largely because of challenges they experience within their families. We know well that conflicts within family - whether related to abuse, mental health, or addictions issues of either young people themselves or other family members – often lead young people to the streets. Because of this, most street youth serving agencies largely ignore the potential role of family members in helping people make the transition to adulthood. There are some exceptions, and one of these is the Family Reconnect program of Eva’s Initiatives in Toronto. In the report, Family Matters, this program is examined to evaluate how reconnecting with family may help some young people avoid long term homelessness. In doing this review, the authors raise some important questions about the Canadian response to youth homelessness. They argue for a rather radical transformation of this response, one that reconsiders the role of strengthened family (and community) relations in preventing and responding to youth homelessness.

Homelessness in Yellowknife: An Emerging Social Challenge

2011-05-20T01:05:20

Homeless Hub Report Series - There is a considerable amount of visible homelessness in Yellowknife (NWT), yet very little third-party analysis of the situation. This report begins by briefly discussing who is homeless in Yellowknife and then outlines program responses, including emergency shelters and various models of housing. An overview will then be provided of major funding initiatives from the federal and territorial governments, as well as various forms of homelessness assistance provided by the City of Yellowknife. The report concludes by making policy recommendations with respect to the need for increased accountability, shelter standards, more housing options for the homeless, and a public health response to alcohol and drug use.

Housing Vulnerability and Health: Canada’s Hidden Emergency

2010-11-12T10:40:50

A longitudinal study of the health of vulnerably housed and homeless adults in Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa

La judiciarisation des personnes en situation d’itinérance à Québec : point de vue des acteurs socio-judiciaires et analyse du phénomène

2011-11-09T04:49:07

Ce rapport s’inscrit dans une recherche sur la judiciarisation des personnes itinérantes au Canada qui a permis de documenter la situation dans six villes (Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec, Halifax). Dans le cadre de cette étude, il s’agissait de documenter les pratiques de judiciairisation dans ces différentes villes et d’appréhender le discours des acteurs socio-judiciaires sur ce phénomène. La judiciarisation des personnes itinérantes s’inscrit dans le contexte de l’adoption de politiques municipales de luttes aux incivilités dans les années 1990. Ces politiques et ces pratiques s’inspirent d’une théorie américaine, la théorie du carreau brisé (broken window theory) (Wilson et Kelling, 1982). Selon cette théorie, l’absence de réaction sociale et pénale aux petits délits et premiers signes de désordres dans un quartier (par exemple, un carreau brisé) peut constituer une invitation au crime en signalant aux délinquants potentiels que cette communauté ne se préoccupe pas de préserver l’ordre dans les espaces publics et que les crimes seront tolérés, voire acceptés. De plus, le désordre fait fuir les résidents dits respectueux de la loi qui ne se sentent plus en sécurité dans leur quartier et ainsi les mécanismes de contrôle informels se relâchent et c’est le début d’une spirale de décadence urbaine et de criminalité. Les principaux auteurs de cette théorie associent les mendiants, clochards et autres flâneurs à des signes de désordre et ils exigent que la police intervienne le plus rapidement possible pour éliminer ces signes et prévenir d’autres incivilités et d’autres crimes encore plus graves. Malgré sa grande popularité, cette théorie ne repose toutefois sur aucune preuve empirique et a fait l’objet de nombreuses critiques dans la littérature scientifique (Sylvestre, 2010; Harcourt, 2006; Wacquant, 2005; Bellot et Morselli, 2002). Outre les conséquences notables qu’elle entraîne pour certaines personnes et groupes de personnes (en particulier les personnes itinérantes), ses auteurs n’ont pas démontré qu’il existait une corrélation entre la multiplication des petits délits et l’augmentation des crimes les plus graves. Au contraire, tel que démontré par la situation québécoise et celle d’autres villes nord‐américaines, l’augmentation du nombre d’arrestations et de constats d’infractions émis pour des délits mineurs a eu pour conséquence de criminaliser et de judiciariser des personnes qui n’avaient pas d’antécédents criminels. À moyen terme, l’application de cette théorie a généré un ressentiment parmi certains groupes d’individus qui sont particulièrement visés par ces pratiques et qui font l’objet d’une surveillance accrue, telles les personnes itinérantes, mais également les membres de communautés ethniques qui font l’objet de harcèlement policier (Bernard et McCall, 2009). En outre, l’application de cette théorie s’est accompagnée dans la plupart des villes nord-américaines, d’une généralisation de la police communautaire qui met l’accent sur la relation avec les citoyens et leur demande de sécurité. Ainsi, ce nouveau cadre des fonctions de la police, où le maintien de l’ordre s’articule autour de la qualité de vie des citoyens plutôt que le contrôle de la criminalité a renforcé la mise en œuvre de stratégies notamment dans le cadre de la tolérance zéro dont l’objectif était de contrôler et de mettre à l’écart, les populations considérées comme indésirables (Beauchesne, 2010; Harcourt, 2001). Pourtant, les études ont peu documenté la manière dont était mise en œuvre cette lutte aux incivilités. Notre recherche, en présentant des données inédites dans les différentes villes, contribue à une meilleure compréhension du phénomène de la judiciarisation des personnes itinérantes en dessinant les contours, l’ampleur et les effets de ce dernier. Dans le cadre de ce rapport, nous dresserons dans un premier temps, le portrait de l’itinérance à Québec tout comme celui du cadre juridique à l’étude. Par la suite, nous ferons état de la double stratégie méthodologique utilisée dans le cadre de cette recherche. Enfin, nous présenterons d’une part les perceptions des acteurs socio-judiciaires quant à l’itinérance et sa judiciarisation et d’autre part, la description des pratiques de judiciarisation et leurs conséquences.

Poverty Amongst Plenty: Waiting for the Yukon Government to Adopt a Poverty Reduction Strategy

2012-05-22T12:21:45

Poverty is bad for the economy, leads to higher health care costs and takes a serious toll on human lives. Most Canadian jurisdictions have developed poverty reduction strategies in the past decade, but Yukon has not. This policy report will provide an overview of poverty indicators in Yukon. It will discuss child apprehensions, housing, land development and homelessness. The report will then provide an overview of the Yukon Child Benefit, social assistance and Yukon seniors’ benefits. This will be followed by a consideration of education, literacy, early child education, child care and at-risk youth. Yukon’s fiscal situation will then be discussed, followed by a look at initial steps taken by the Yukon Government towards the development of a poverty reduction strategy. The report concludes with five recommendations for the Yukon Government.

Surviving Crime and Violence: Street Youth and Victimization in Toronto

2010-05-17T11:13:13

Homeless Hub Report Series- Any parent would be outraged if their child was exposed to violence and crime. Any community would consider this to be unacceptable. Should we be concerned about the risks that young people who are homeless face? In our report, “Surviving Crime and Violence”, we explore the relationship between youth homelessness and criminal victimization. Our research highlights the degree to which the lives of young people who are homeless are characterized by high levels of crime and violence. This report, prepared for Justice for Children and Youth, was led by Stephen Gaetz (York University) and Bill O’Grady (University of Guelph). Two hundred and forty four homeless youth in Toronto were interviewed in 2009 about life on the streets, including their experiences of criminal victimization. While street youth are often portrayed in public discussions as dangerous, threatening and delinquent, this new research highlights the degree to which it is street youth themselves who are clearly vulnerable to crime and violence. The findings of this research reveal that street youth are victimized frequently, in large part due to the vulnerabilities that young people face when they are homeless. Particularly concerning are the findings which indicate that interventions to this victimization are not being effectively addressed by the criminal justice and shelter systems or by other professionals involved in the lives of street youth. We suggest that if the levels of violence and other forms of crime found in this study were being experienced by any other group of youth in Canada there would be immediate public outrage and considerable pressure for government to take action. Street youth deserve the same level of attention in responding to and preventing crime and violence that any other group of Canadian citizens are entitled to. Such attention is needed so that street youth have an opportunity to move forward in life.

We’re not asking, we’re telling: An inventory of practices promoting the dignity, autonomy, and self-determination of women and families facing homelessness

2012-09-30T09:07:01

This study builds upon the findings of several recent participatory projects in which women facing homelessness have taken the lead and voiced their knowledge about the causes and consequences of, and the solutions to homelessness. Through those projects, women experiencing homelessness shared their insights about services, and about their own strengths. Now, the time has come to assist services to adopt the good practices identified in those projects. In order to do this, service providers need models and tools that are relevant to their own service contexts. To gather more information about models, tools, and practices and how these can be implemented, our project drew upon a range of sources: • A web search, literature review, and site visits, to identify innovative democratic practices in local, Canadian, and international services for women and families facing homelessness. • Interviews and focus groups with managers and front-line staff in organizations serving women and families facing homelessness, in order to analyze practices and policies in local services that respond to the above recommendations, and the challenges that services face in fully implementing them. • Peer knowledge exchange meetings and focus groups with women and families facing homelessness, in which participants shared and documented the good practices they use, and their recommendations for making services more inclusive. This report presents inspiring models, inclusive service practices, and women’s own strategies and resources for surviving homelessness. While we keep up the struggle to end homelessness, we can also draw upon the information here to make changes in our everyday lives, our work, and our organizations. This feminist, participatory research project was funded by the Homelessness Knowledge Development Program of Human Resources Services and Development Canada.