Homelessness In Canada

Concerns over the overwhelming number of street deaths in Toronto, on account of homelessness are addressed in this article. According, to the data collected on average 2 homeless deaths happen every week in Toronto. A breakdown of the statics showed that 46 deaths occurred indoors, 4 outside and 20 are unknown.

Sadly, the majority of these deaths were by people under the age of 50, in a country where the average age expectancy for men is 79 and women 84. At the time of publication, 70 deaths had occurred and the news went unannounced by the media.

Are we as a society more concerned with profiting from people’s misfortunes than making them well? Can one readily identify a homeless person by looking at them? How do we account for the homeless? Do we care to know when a homeless person has died? Is it enough for us to offer housing? The majority of us are familiar with that old adage “an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure.” If (Ostroff, J 2015) calculations are correct and we can cure homelessness for an extra $46 a year why aren’t we? What is hindering us from taking action? These are hard questions, to answer when with the harsh reality of homelessness in “the most livable city in the world.”

There are numerous and complex variables that determine the journey to homelessness. Homeless people are the most vulnerable and subject to abuse and attacks from the general population. As seen in the documentary Storied Streets, many people hid their homelessness, because of the stigma and shame associated with it. The preconceived notion that people would prefer to remain homeless fails to examine true reasons behind their decisions; these notions are extremely damaging, to homeless people and those working tirelessly to aid