Homelessness in Canada
ESSAY
The final paper will be expected to be 2,000 words and should demonstrate the ability to apply the material learned in this course plus the use of relevant secondary literature to analyze a topic related to health policy. Marks will be deducted if the paper is either shorter than 1,850 words or longer than 2,150 words. The word count is only for
the text, i.e., does not include the references. For each 50 words or part thereof outside this limit 5 marks (out of 100) will be deducted, e.g., if the essay is 2,190 words 5 marks will be deducted, if the essay is 2,230 words 10 marks will be deducted.
Essay structure:
Analytic papers are not just a description of what is in a policy. They are an analysis of the reasons why a policy exists and its strengths and weaknesses.
The essay should be structured as follows:
- The essay has to deal with a current health policy question or a health policy issue and it has to be a Canadian question or issue.
- A health policy question could be something like what is the best way of providing health services for new immigrants. A health policy issue could look at the same question from a different perspective, e.g., why are there difficulties in providing health services for new immigrants.
- Structure for a health policy question essay:
o Start off by stating what is the question that the essay will address, e.g.,
“This essay will examine how to provide appropriate health care services
to new immigrants.”
o The essay would then describe the policy or policies that have been developed about health care for immigrants, e.g., whether there are proposals or policies already in place to have special language services set up for them, whether there are proposals or policies already in place to have culturally appropriate health care available.
o Next would be a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the proposals or policies.
o Finally, in the conclusion, you should give your assessment about whether or not the policy that has been developed has been successful, a failure, partly successful, etc. and why you have come to that conclusion or
whether or not the proposals are likely to be successful, etc. and why you have come to that conclusion.
- Structure for a health policy issue essay:
o Start off by stating what is the question that the essay will address, e.g.,
“This essay will examine whether appropriate health care services are
being provided to new immigrants.”
o The essay would then describe the evidence about the quality of the services that are currently in place.
o Next, you should explain whether these services are appropriate or inappropriate and why you reached these conclusions.
o Finally, in the conclusion, you should say what you think the consequences are of the type of services being provided, e.g., “At present, the services leave a large number of people with health problems that are not being adequately dealt with.” You could also say what you think needs to be done to change the services but that’s not necessary.
If you use too many direct quotes, even if these quotes are properly attributed (see ACADEMIC HONESTY below), it will be hard to evaluate your writing style and whether or not you understand the material you are quoting. Too many direct quotes will therefore lead to a lower mark on your essay. In a 5 page essay there should not be more than a total of about one-half page of direct quotes.
Your essay MUST contain a minimum of 5 academic references. Newspaper and magazine articles may also be used but they are not considered academic material. Wikipedia is not considered an academic source.
Formatting requirements:
- Use subheadings
- All papers must be submitted to TURNITIN. Instructions on how to do this will be given during the class
- Title page with the following 1) title of the paper; 2) your name; 3) my name;
4) course title; 5) date of submission; and 6) word count
- Printed on 8.5 x 11 inch paper
- 12 point font
- Double spaced
- 1 inch margins
- Spell-checked
Homelessness in Canada
Name
Course number
Instructor’s name
Date
Homelessness in Canada includes the unsheltered, those under emergency shelter, the provisionally accommodated and those at risk of homelessness. The unsheltered live in public spaces and in areas that are unintended for permanent human habitation. Emergency shelter caters for vulnerable groups such as victims of violence, tragedies and overnight shelters for the homeless. The provisionally accommodated includes those living with others on an interim temporal basis, institutional care in jails and accommodation for refugees and immigrants. Persons that have insecure housing and face imminent homelessness fall in at the risk of homelessness category (Gulliver-Garcia, 2014).This essay will look at the homelessness in Canada. Emphasis shall be laid on analyzing how the homelessness situation has changed over the years. To accomplish this, it shall outline its causes and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the policies that have been developed to address homelessness. It shall also make recommendations on what might help prevent this situation.
Causes of homelessness
The Canadian Homelessness Research Network and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness indicated that more than two hundred thousand Canadians are homeless at each given year and that thirty thousand people become homeless every day. They also indicate that fifty thousand homeless people fall in the hidden category of the homeless because they temporarily live with friends or family. Single males between 25 and 55 years form the largest section of the homeless at 47.5 percent. The youth between 16 and 24 years form 20 percent of the total homeless people. Aboriginal people and women are also particularly vulnerable to homelessness. The report further shows that transitional homelessness for less than a month accounts for 88-94 percent of homelessness. Episodic homelessness where one moves in and out of homelessness and chronic homelessness characterized by being homeless for more than one year is at 3-11 percent and 2-4 percent respectively (Gaetz, 2013).
Structural factors as well as individual and relational factors are responsible for homelessness in Canada. They include factors such as the lack of affordable housing, lack of necessary income to retain housing and discrimination in obtaining housing. Evidence shows that the inability of many individuals to obtain and pay for housing and to retain their current housing is the basis of the homelessness problem in Canada. Providing affordable housing is thus essential in resolving the problem. Aboriginals, racial minorities, LGBTI face discrimination in obtaining jobs and thus find it difficult to secure income to cater for their housing. There are system failures that lead certain people to become homeless such as released prisoners, discharged patients and youth without sufficient support to plan and prepare for transition into independent living. Addictions, mental health problems, and family violence are other contributing causes of homelessness. It shows that homelessness in Canada is not only as a result of individual problems but also societal response to sidelined people.
Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of policies that have been developed to address homelessness
There have been shifts in the Canadian government’s priorities in housing characterized by a significant decline in both private and public investment in affordable housing. Affordable housing for Canadians refers to permanent housing costing less than thirty percent of low and middle income earners (Hulchasanki, 2006). Spending more than 30 percent of the total on rent income renders one incapable of meeting other food, clothing, taxes and transportation costs. In the 1930s the Canadian government increased the housing supply through various program investments. They include the government insured mortgages, direct investment in social housing and tax incentives and subsidies for development of rental and co-op housing. It created the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in 1946 to address housing shortage. At the time shortage and poor housing conditions was the major challenge rather than affordability (Gaetz, Gulliver, & Ritcher, 2014).
The government consistently ensured decent adequate supply of housing through social housing under joint federal/provincial territorial funding agreements in the 1980s (Hughes, 2012). Both levels of government provided loans and operating subsidies. It however began scaling down its investment leading to the eventual scraping off of the national housing strategy. The government reduced its spending on affordable social housing that also supported co-op housing and by 1993 it terminated the affordable housing by the federal government. The de-investment resulted in a substantial decrease in the establishment of new social housing units. The total government funded units in 1982 were over twenty thousand, it reduced twenty times by 1995 to one thousand (Gaetz, Gulliver, & Ritcher, 2014). The shift in policy resulted in the visible increase of homeless people living in public spaces in the mid-1990s. The homelessness problem was termed a national disaster and community groups began establishing emergency programs to assist homeless people. The programs only have a marginal impact because the structural conditions that sustained homelessness remain unaddressed (Gaetz, 2010).
In response to the homelessness disaster, the government launched National Homeless Initiative (NHI) that took a community based approach for communities across Canada. However, the program is marred by funding inadequacy, and short term renewals that hinder its continuity. It significantly hampers its capacity to implement well-coordinated effort to combat homelessness. They lack a national strategy leading to fragmented and uncoordinated community based initiatives. The immediate response to homelessness in Canada has thus focused mainly on managing the crisis through community based initiatives and less on preventive and transitional measures. It depicts a lack of balance to shield Canadians from homelessness and expedite their transition out of homelessness (Gaetz, 2010).
Reports indicate that thee operating agreement investment in the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation was higher in 1993 than the current investment for 2013/14. The current investment stands at $1.7 billion and it varies significantly with the $ 1.9 billion assigned in 1993. By accounting inflation the 1993 allocation is equivalent to todays $2.8 billion which is 1.1 billion more than the 2013/14 allocation. It shows that there has been si...