What Does It Mean To End Homeless?
What do we mean when we say we can end homelessness? Is it even possible? This claim is often disputed by those who say some level of homelessness has always been with us. Yet when making this assertion, it does not mean that there will never be people in crisis who need emergency/temporary housing. There will continue to be people who must leave home because of family conflict and violence, eviction or other emergencies, as well as those who simply face challenges in making the transition to independent living. Thus there will always be a need for some form of emergency services.
Ending homelessness means something different – it means eliminating a broad social problem that traps people in an ongoing state of homelessness. The Canadian Definition of Homelessness argues the “problem of homelessness and housing exclusion refers to the failure of society to ensure that adequate systems, funding and support are in place so that all people, even in crisis situations, have access to housing.
The goal of ending homelessness is to ensure housing stability, which means people have a fixed address and housing that is appropriate (affordable, safe, adequately maintained, accessible and suitable in size), and includes required services as needed (supportive), in addition to income and supports”.
Ending homelessness means doing things differently, and not simply managing the problem through depending on emergency services and supports such as shelters and soup kitchens. When people come to depend on emergency services without access to permanent housing and necessary supports, this leads to declining health and well-being, and most certainly an uncertain future. An alternative is to look at approaches that emphasize prevention and/or interventions that lead to appropriate housing options with supports. Ending homelessness means that no one should be in this emergency situation for longer than a few weeks.
Excerpt taken from www.homelesshub.ca/solutions/ending-homelessness
Ending homelessness means something different – it means eliminating a broad social problem that traps people in an ongoing state of homelessness. The Canadian Definition of Homelessness argues the “problem of homelessness and housing exclusion refers to the failure of society to ensure that adequate systems, funding and support are in place so that all people, even in crisis situations, have access to housing.
The goal of ending homelessness is to ensure housing stability, which means people have a fixed address and housing that is appropriate (affordable, safe, adequately maintained, accessible and suitable in size), and includes required services as needed (supportive), in addition to income and supports”.
Ending homelessness means doing things differently, and not simply managing the problem through depending on emergency services and supports such as shelters and soup kitchens. When people come to depend on emergency services without access to permanent housing and necessary supports, this leads to declining health and well-being, and most certainly an uncertain future. An alternative is to look at approaches that emphasize prevention and/or interventions that lead to appropriate housing options with supports. Ending homelessness means that no one should be in this emergency situation for longer than a few weeks.
Excerpt taken from www.homelesshub.ca/solutions/ending-homelessness
Request a Group Presentation
Moving from managing homelessness to ending homelessness requires a whole new shift in our thinking about the causes of homelessness and the solutions. The CAGH welcomes the opportunity to speak to community groups, classrooms, church groups and business about approaches we can take to help end long-term, persistent homelessness in Fredericton.
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The State of Homelessness in Canada 2016 provides a roadmap for the way forward. Including a series of joint recommendations – drafted by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Canadian Alliance to end Homelessness – for the National Housing Strategy. READ FULL REPORT & RECOMMENDATIONS HERE |
This report summarizes what we know about the cost of addressing homelessness by looking at key literature from Canada and the United States. What becomes clear is that the status quo is actually really expensive. It may seem counter intuitive to suggest that it is cheaper and more cost effective to provide people who experience homelessness with the housing and supports they need, rather than simply provide them with emergency supports through shelters and soup kitchens. However, the research reviewed here indicates that this is actually the case. The best social and economic policies should be based on research and evidence, and in this case, the evidence points to the fact that if we do things differently, we not only achieve better social outcomes, but we also save money. READ FULL REPORT HERE.
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