Lecture 21 Flashcards
How many people experience homelessness annually in Canada?
- 235000
The average life expectancy in Canada is 82 years old. What is the estimated average life expectancy of people experiencing homelessness?
42-52 years
Most people who experience homelessness experience it once in their lifetime and for a short period of time (less than a month). TRUE OR FALSE
true
What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)?
- first to codify housing as a human right
- Article 25: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control” - not legally binding
What is the other human right called about homelessness?
International Covenant on economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966)
UN treaties:
- convention on the rights of the child, convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, etc.
What is the national definition of homelessness in 2012?
- “range of housing and shelter circumstances… [that] encompasses a range of physical living situations” (COOH, 2012)
“Homelessness describes the situation of an individual, family or community without stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it. It is the result of systemic or societal barriers, a lack of affordable and appropriate housing, the individual/household’s financial, mental, cognitive, behavioural or physical challenges, and/or racism and discrimination. Most people do not choose to be homeless, and the experience is generally negative, unpleasant, unhealthy, unsafe, stressful and distressing” (COOH, 2012)
- later defines “appropriate” as meaning “affordable, safe, adequately maintained, accessible and suitable in size”
What was UN Habitat’s definition of houselessness?
- “An individual with no access to housing will be considered as houseless all over the world” (UN Habitat, 2001)
What is the definition of Indigenous homelessness developed by Jesse Thistle, in collab with various Indigenous stakeholders
“Indigenous homelessness is a human condition that describes First Nations, Métis and Inuit individuals, families or communities lacking stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means or ability to acquire such housing. Unlike the common colonialist definition of homelessness, Indigenous homelessness is not defined as lacking a structure of habitation; rather, it is more fully described and understood through a composite lens of Indigenous worldviews. These include: individuals, families and communities isolated from their relationships to land, water, place, family, kin, each other, animals, cultures, languages and identities. Importantly, Indigenous people experiencing these kinds of homelessness cannot culturally, spiritually, emotionally or physically reconnect with their Indigeneity or lost relationships” (Thistle, 2017)
- defines homelessness as more than just a lack of “a structure of habitation” and situates it within the legacy of colonialism, including, but not limited to racism, dispossession of lands, “destabilization of culture” and language and intergenerational trauma
- Homelessness as “being without All my RElations”
The prevalence of homelessness is _____ greater among Indigenous people compared to the general population in urban areas in Canada
8 times
How do you describe the experience of homelessness?
- an extremely stressful, dignity-depriving, and marginalizing experience
What are adverse physical health outcome examples?
◦ Cardiovascular disease (Al-Shakarchi et al., 2020)
◦ Infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, HCV, TB) (Beijer et al., 2012)
◦ Heat stroke and sunburn (Hwang, 2001)
◦ Hypothermia and frost bite (Hwang, 2001)
◦ Traumatic brain injuries (Stubbs et al., 2020)
◦ Accelerated aging (Suh et al., 2020)
◦ Skin problems (e.g., scabies, lice) (Hwang, 2001)
◦ Poorer dental health (Hwang, 2001)
◦ Food insecurity (Hernandez et al., 2019)
◦ Violent/criminal victimization (Nilsson et al., 2020)
◦ Death (Cancer, heart disease, and substance use disorders = often top causes of death) (Funk et al., 2022)
What is the life expectancy of homeless people
42-52 years
What are adverse mental health outcome examples of homelessness?
◦ Suicide (Ayano, Tsegay, et al., 2019)
◦ Serious mental illness (Ayano, Shumet, et al., 2020; Ayano, Solomon, et al., 2020; Ayano, Tesfaw, et al., 2019; Fazel et al., 2008),)
◦ Drug and alcohol dependence (Fazel et al., 2008)
What are risk behaviours of homelessness?
◦ Individual choice vs. context/environment individuals are in
◦ E.g., needle sharing, unprotected sex
What does PEH stand for
- people experiencing homelessness
