The State of HOMELESSNESS in Canada

Re-blogged from the Left Eye

By André Faust

When we think of homeless we envision, a bunch of social outcasts who represent the lower stratum of our class conscious society. We attribute many uncomplimentary adjectives to describe them, such as Lazy, druggies, alcoholics and mental cases and so on. The last place that we want these degenerates is in our back yards. While drugs, alcohol and mental issues may contribute to some homeless people, this is not necessarily the case. Loss of employment and low wages now seem to be the biggest contributors to why there seems to be an increase in the incidents of homelessness. 

According to Stephen Gaetz, Tanya Gulliver, & Tim Richter (2014), the current homeless crises is directly correlated to the Federal Government and the decline of federal investments have been steady during the last two decades. Fredericton is an example of a city that has the highest rates for rents, which is out of reach for most minimum wage earners, yet it appears that per capita Fredericton has the lowest number of affordable and subside housing when compared to other centers like Saint John, anecdotally, according to one source the wait time in Saint John for either subsidized housing or affordable house is much less than the wait time in Fredericton. According to the Saint John source even if you’re single with no children you have a better chance of acquiring affordable housing. In Fredericton is you’re a single Male regardless of age, your chances of sleeping on a park bench is by farther greater the likelihood of getting affordable or subsided housing. 

It appears that in Fredericton because there are some many students, who will use their student loans to pay top dollars for living units, and if you included Government employees, they tend to rent rather than pay a house mortgage. What is the incentive in Fredericton develop affordable houses for less income. Is Fredericton a classic case of supply and demand, profits before people? The following report gives a very good explanation to why, not only in Fredericton, but in all of Canada why we are now in crises situation. Continue Reading -->