A Social Reintegration Project

Shelter-seekers encounter significant social and financial difficulties that often go unnoticed by the general population. In particular, prejudices based on socio-economic status stigmatize people living in shelters. The need for robust housing strategies has become more pressing within the last few years as people had lost their homes during the recession. According to the Canadian Homeless Research Network, an estimated 200,000 people are homeless in Canada in any given year; 30,000 on any given night, of which 5086 are based in Toronto, Ontario. Covenant House Toronto 2 estimates that there are as many as 1000-2000 homeless youth a night in Toronto. An annual estimated 300 babies are born to mothers who are homeless in the city of Toronto. In the city, there are shelters that provide acute services for the homeless such as food, medical services and around-the-clock mental health care. These shelters are necessary and vital services, however, in their narrow mandates they do not address larger issues of stigma and social integration of shelter-seekers with the sheltered. As emphasized by “Housing First” homelessness advocates, shelter-seekers are no different in their “readiness” or ability than the sheltered; but nonetheless they encounter daily challenges that could be resolved primarily through shelter and work.

Recommended citation: John Nguyen, S. Baik, Z. Luo, S. Lamb, Q. Luchen, A. Nguyen, "A Social Reintegration Project," Dichotomy, vol. 23, pp.52-60, 2017, ISSN: 0276-5748