Homelessness: A Huge Social Problem in Canada Research Paper

Introduction

Homelessness is my topic of study because it is a very big social problem in Canada. Canada is growing at an alarming rate. It is expanding socially, economically, and politically. This can be perceived as a good thing but the problem with fast development is that it exerts a large amount of pressure on its people. There is a large influx of people within Canada’s big cities. Some of these cities include: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Regina. Such people are creating enormous pressure on homeless shelters and food banks. It is quite necessary for the government and other stakeholders to wake up and do something about this problem. Canada is the country with the second highest population of homeless people in the world after the United States.

If homelessness is left unchecked, it could worsen with time. This social issue could transform our cities as we know them. Homelessness can make Canadian Cities into ghettos located near fenced suburbs. There are a number of social problems that crop up; drug peddling and drug taking are quite rampant, prostitution is also on the increase, gang activity and robberies are a very common phenomenon, there are also other minor issues like graffiti and panhandling that have also arisen. All these social problems have numerous ramifications. First of all, they could cause fragmentation of society, deteriorating public health, threaten public health safety and bring generational homelessness and financial costs to the entire Canadian community. (Thomas, 2004)

Another reason why homelessness is an issue of concern is because it is concentrated in large cities which are controlled by too many systems. There are local councils, the government and other non governmental organizations. This means that stake holders are most likely to pass on the blame to other parties thus making the cycle continuous. In the end, no one does anything about it. I chose this topic because no one has done anything serious about it.

Lastly, homelessness was chosen as a topic of research because there is very little information about the issue especially in relation to health. Because of lack of information, most of our leaders have chosen to ignore it. This research will contribute to the information banks about homelessness. In turn, leaders maybe motivated to act.

Summary of research about the topic

Research has shown that there is a very big correlation between homeless ness and health complications. This could possibly be attributed to the following reasons:

• No washing facilities
• Eating communally
• Poor nutrition
• Smoking and drinking
• Use of hard drugs
• Bathing communally
• Lack of medical attention to prevent worse situations
• Violence and psychological trauma (Thomas, 2004)

There are a number of chronic illnesses that are associated with homelessness in Canadian cities. Some of these illnesses are:

Injuries

Injuries can come in a variety of forms and for many reasons. Because homeless people are exposed to extreme weather conditions, they are very likely to fall ill. During hot weather, they may have hypothermia, extreme sun burns, heat strokes and dehydration and during winter, most of them have frostbite. In some cases, frostbite can become so extreme- some people have frozen to death. The homeless are also prone to a number of accidental injuries. This is such a problem among them since they can’t be able to access medical attention. Thus simple injuries are left unattended to and may worsen with time. Lastly, injuries are also caused by violent incidences because crime rate is very high. Therefore, most of them suffer from lacerations, wounds, fractures and bruises.

Tuberculosis

This disease is quite likely to attack homeless people because they are exposed to high populations in homeless shelters and also due to overcrowding. In the year 2001, an outbreak of TB was reported among the homeless in Toronto. The disease is usually made worse by the lack of medical care. This makes the bacteria spread into other parts of the body and makes the condition worse. Other factors that worsen TB among the homeless are substance abuse, HIV and poor nutrition (Yuan, 1997).

Diabetes

Diabetes is a very sensitive ailment because improper management of the disease could make it terminal or it could bring about secondary disability. Diabetic patients can do the following to manage the disease; nutritional changes, monitoring glucose level and accessing information about the disease. Bugeja and Hwang did a study on diabetes among the homeless in Toronto during the year 2000. These were their findings;

Oral disease

It is very common to find periodontal diseases and tooth decay among the homeless. This is mostly because these people have minimal access to dental health care. This aspect of health is not covered under public care. In addition, materials necessary to take care of one’s oral health are not available for the homeless (Gaetz, 1994).

Respiratory infections

Homeless people have adopted a lot of habits that perpetuate respiratory infections. Most of them smoke; this heightens the chances of developing asthma, pulmonary disease and emphysema. These diseases are made worse by poor nutrition, violence and drug abuse (Thomas, 2004).

Peripheral vascular diseases

There are a number of ailments that arise as a result of the conditions in which homeless people live. First, they usually spend most of their time in certain postures for long. It is common to find most of them standing for a very long time or some of them may sit for too long. This inhibits blood circulation and brings other complications. Some of these include cellulites, skin breakdown and ulceration (Dennis, 1998).

AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases

Because most homeless people are exposed to high risk behavior, the HIV prevalence rate is quite high among them. Some of the factors that bring about these results are; poor or no protection during sexual encounters, drug abuse especially those that involve needle use, prostitution and crimes such as rape. (Thomas, 2004)

Assumptions l had before the research

Homeless people were an abstract social group to me. I did not know how much they suffered. I also did not think that health problems were a very big issue to them before this research. I thought that most of them go through what l do and l didn’t fully realize the potential risks that their living conditions pose to their health.

A proposal on how to reduce this health problem

There are a number of reasons that cause homelessness. I am truly convinced that the only solution to this problem is by providing long term solutions. Temporary methods like offering shelters and sleeping bags are not enough. Some people become homeless because of unemployment. The Canadian government can provide training for unemployed members, discrimination during job seeking should also be eliminated. Other people end up on the streets as a result of drug abuse; this issue can be addressed by establishing rehabilitation centers for homeless people. Statistics have also shown that most homeless people in Canada are foreigners or immigrants. The Canadian government should establish settlement schemes for all its refugees, migrants and other newcomers. All these changes need to be incorporated into the local and national budget because whether we like it or not homelessness is a stark reality.

Impact project has had on me

The project has enlightened me about the plights of the homeless in Canada. It has also helped me to realize the correlation between homelessness and public health, the causes and the impacts of this serious social problem (Gaetz, 2004).

Conclusion

Homelessness is a complex situation that requires society to view it as a social problem. Homeless people have to choose between shelter food and other basics requirements. In such cases shelter is given less priority. Increase in rent and loss of employment coupled by high standards of living highly contribute to homelessness. Poverty, lack of employment and harassment are some of the social problems that the homeless continue to face in Canada and these have contributed to poor health. In order to assist the homeless, employment and cheap housing units need to be availed to them as these are the major causes of homelessness. All stakeholders need to put their best foot forward because if left unchecked public health could reach uncontainable levels.

References

1. Hwang, S. (2005): Homelessness and Health in Canada; A journal by Canadian Public Health.
2. Hwang, S. (2000): Mortality among men using homeless shelters in Toronto; a journal by the Canadian Medical Association.
3. Dennis, M. (1998): A profile of the homeless population in Toronto; A report for Homelessness Action Task Force.
4. Gaetz, S. (2004): Understanding research on homelessness in Toronto.
5. Thomas (2004): Health and Homelessness; a journal for the Canadian Medical association.
6. Gaetz, S. (1994): The oral health of Toronto’s street youth; a journal by the Canadian dental association.
7. Yuan (1997): Tuberculosis clusters among homeless in Toronto; a journal for the Canadian Medical association.