Intersectionality of Homelessness

How increasing minority intersectionalities increases the likelihood of experiencing homelessness

[unit3301-blog]

Homeless - By Petra Nikolic 

[thesociologicalcinema]

These are examples of hostile architecture designed to prevent homeless people from resting or sleeping in particular areas.

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‘You can’t hide the homeless’

London

[intersectionality]

HOMELESSNESS: A BREIF INTRODUCTION...

It is a universal right that everyone should have standard adequate living. Unfortunately, this is obviously not the case cross-globally but specifically focused in Canadian culture. Homelessness is a fluid term, rather than being homeless, it is politically correct to use the term experiencing homeless. If we attach homelessness to personal character it just perpetuates stigmatization around the epidemic. The truth is, homelessness can occur in anyone ones life at any given moment for an unlimited number of reasons. Therefore the term “experiencing homelessness” captured the true essence of reality; it could happen to you and it could be happening to someone you know. Homelessness is a structural, societal and institutional dilemma that could be easily fixed if the funding was put towards transformative measures such as a national housing plan, policy change, building shelters and challenging stigma and discrimination. If the government used the money that they spent on affirmative remedies such as incarceration and emergency hospital bills, and put it towards a focused and bottom up approach the government would legitimately save money- a lot. Why don’t they? Who does homelessness affect? The population of people experiencing homelessness might be the answer in why we haven’t seen any direct action.

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[unit3301-blog]

Homeless - By Petra Nikolic 

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☹️👽

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Happy Pride Month Eve everyone!!!!

[intersectionality]

INTERSECIONALITY...

What is intersectionality and how does it intertwine with homelessness?

Intersectionality is a tool we use to deconstruct how the different minority social locations intertwine resulting in further oppressive identities. An example would be identifying as a women as well as being Muslim. Another example would be having a disability and being an immigrant as well as identifying as a trans person. The more identities the more difficult it is to be seen as an equal in society. Intersectionality is not mean to be stable, it is supposed to be ever changing. It should not to be used as a buzzword alone, but a tool to challenge the white male ideology. When analyzing the population of people without homes it is impossible to ignore the facts. The affects of homelessness impact those who are oppressed and marginalized to the greatest extent. If you are a minority in Canadian society, you are a woman, queer, racialized, non-abled body, indigenous, or suffering with mental health challenges, the chances of experiencing homelessness drastically increase. Now imagine intersecting multiple identities and social locations, the chances continue to rise as well as the disproportional target towards the criminalization of homelessness. This can be seen as the phenomenon of intersectionality. Each intersection and individual has a unique experience within their location, it is important to recognize that when speaking about an oppressed population. Throughout this blog I will discuss each minority group that has been marginalized and therefore left to live without a home because of the results of patriarchy and colonization. I am a white Russian women born in Canada, therefore I recognize my power and speak as an ally attempting to dismantle the norms and values around whom experiences homelessness and why.

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No land for the Poor, Athens Greece 2015

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👏IF YOUR VIEW👏OF EQUALITY👏DOES NOT👏INCLUDE👏THE DISABLED👏YOU ARE👏NOT FOR👏EQUALITY👏

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Correct!

If You Want A “War On Drugs”, Fight It Economically, Against Poverty and Mental Illness!

Phroyd

[intersectionality]

DISSABILITY PREVALENCE IN HOMELESSNESS

In western society people with a physical or mental disability experience marginalization that leads to homelessness at extreme rates. According to Statistics Canadian Council on Social Development the poverty rate for people with disabilities is almost 2X higher than people without; 1/3 people with disabilities live in poverty versus 1/5. Out of that population, children tend to experience homelessness as the majority (Canadian Council on Social Development, 2011). According to The Center for Justice and Social Compassion 45% of those who experience homelessness are disabled or diagnosed with a mental illness. As well as, adults with disabilities spend more than 50% of their income (before tax) on housing, which as a result leads to a constant struggle and stress battling the likelihood of experiencing homelessness in the future (Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, 2018). Since Canada doe not have a national housing strategy and social welfare has been in a decline as a result of the laissez faire economy, it becomes vastly difficult for people with disabilities to find shelters with appropriate accommodations. People living with mental illness have been left to utilize incarceration as well as institutional psychiatric wards as an alternative to housing. Individuals living with psychiatric illnesses have a higher rate of being criminalized as a result of stigma, lack of housing as well as behaviors that alter from the norm. Being homeless and having a mental illness often leads to unnecessary hospitalization and incarceration when acting impulsively, whereas “abled” minds can communicate better therefore standing up for their rights when people suffering with a mental illness sometimes cannot. The effects of socialization of jails and hospitals on homeless people with a disability can lead to an endless cycle of battling homelessness, in which institutionalization can be better than living on the streets (Dubé, 2016).

-Canadian Council on Social Development. (2011). Poverty among People with Disabilities. Retrieved November 15, 2018, from http://www.ccsd.ca/images/research/SiN/ccsd_infographic_05.pdf

-Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. (2018). People with Disabilities. Retrieved November 15, 2018, from https://homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/population-specific/people-disabilities

-Dubé, P. (2016, August 24). Nowhere to Turn. Retrieved November 15, 2018, from https://www.ombudsman.on.ca/resources/reports-and-case-summaries/reports-on-investigations/2016/nowhere-to-turn

[npr]

There’s no way to avoid it. As the cost of college grows, research shows that so does the number of hungry and homeless students at colleges and universities across the country.

Still, many say the problem is invisible to the public.

National Survey Shows High Rates Of Hungry And Homeless Community College Students

Illustration by LA Johnson/NPR