#hiddenhomelessness

[victimsnotvillains]

80% of homeless population live hidden. Between couch-surfing, staying with relatives, and sleeping in abandoned buildings, refugees are the most vulnerable to hidden homelessness (D'Addario, Hiebert, and Sherrell, 2007). Photo credited to Matt Stabile.

[victimsnotvillains]

The “Who, What, Where” of Refugee Homelessness

All these topics discussed have one significant characteristic in common – they all are a cause and factor of homeless. Poverty and hardship affect food supply, in turn affecting physical health and mental health. There are many other specific factors that contribute to the homelessness of refugees, but these pressing issues, and the specifics tied into them, are the leading causes. The structural barriers are generally the first issue that refugees are faced with on their journey with experiencing homelessness.

As previously mentioned, refugees face the most challenges in the housing market compared to any other group of individuals in Canada (Hiebert, 2017). Refugees gage the housing market and social services through their social or familial networks that are already living in the country of resettlement. They actually rely on them very intensely for resources and information about housing (D'Addario, Hiebert, and Sherrell, 2007). The conversation that usually follows is that of explaining the struggle with money, not being able to afford housing, and asking for a place to stay while things fall together. This is when refugees fall into homelessness – more specifically, this is when they fall into hidden homeless.

People experiencing hidden homelessness are often called the “out of sight, out of mind” population (Ali, 2018). These individuals are usually staying with relatives ‘temporarily’, are couch-surfing, or even living in abandoned buildings. These individuals fall homeless for many of the same reasons; structural and system failures, and of course their own personal experiences (Ali, 2018). 80% of the homeless population are hiddenly-homeless, and since refugees are at high risk of hidden homelessness, we can infer that many of those individuals account for refugees or refuge claimants.

- Lauren Iaccino, Ryerson University