Designing Policy Options Assignment Paper.
Canada is a country of wide contradictions. On one hand, Canada is termed as one of the
most prosperous nations made up of over 30 million people, with over 80% of the population
living in urban areas. According to a report by The Organization for Economic Development and
Co-operation (OECD), Canada is one of the countries with strong economic performance such as
having recorded national budget surpluses in the past (Gaetz, 2010). Designing Policy Options Assignment Paper.Canada is a nation with strong health care system and other social programs yet it experiences a crisis in homelessness.
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Even though there have been impoverished communities living in rural and urban areas
across Canada for long in addition to a persistent gap between the rich and the poor, it is only in
the recent years that huge numbers of people living in extreme poverty seem to have been
vulnerable to losing their homes. The evolution of homelessness from being a problem that only
affects a small number of people has turned out to be a crisis that affects a diverse population of
individuals and families. As indicated earlier in the passage, how Canada found itself in this
quagmire is well known. A number of significant structural changes in the economy coupled
with significant shifts in government policy did lead to cuts in support for low-income families
and individuals, and reduction in the affordable housing stock are part of the reasons for rising
cases of homelessness (Laird, 2007). Designing Policy Options Assignment Paper.
According to Gaetz (2010), the increasing number of visibly homeless people living on
several streets and parks across the country needs urgent attention. Canada needs to respond the
crisis that is homelessness before it escalates to dangerous grounds. There is a growing chorus of
call for the government, non-profit organizations and communities to do something. Even though
Canada has tried to reduce the number of homelessness, many cities across the state still grapple
with the problem of homelessness. In Calgary for instance, the homeless population has grown
by more than 650% from the years 1997 to 2007. With the homeless crisis continuing to increase
over the past decade, many people have begun questioning the effectiveness of government’s
response (Bassuk and Geller, 2006).
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It is becoming clear that emphasis on emergency response services has not been enough.
Constructing more and bigger shelters has not significantly helped in minimizing homelessness
in Canada. As Liard (2007) argues, “The limitations of yesterday’s solutions are now apparent”.
Homelessness comes at a great cost to the society. Previously undertaken studies have
documented the high costs of health care, criminal justice and other services that people
homelessness be eradicated or completely reduced? What needs to be done right? What paths or
options seem best suited to address this perennial problem?
The movement towards a strategic response to homelessness in Canada
Ending the crisis that is homelessness can help put many families and individuals-
including the disenfranchised and disabled persons- towards a trajectory path of inclusion,
health, integration, and well-being. It may help free up public resources currently spent on taking
care of homeless persons as such resources could be channeled towards other purposes such as
funding early childhood education (Austen and Pauly, 2012). The formula for providing a home
for all the homeless persons is a highly complex exercise. However, some alternative options can
be adopted to address this issue albeit some legislation and implementation costs as subsequently
explained. Designing Policy Options Assignment Paper.
a) Building on ongoing/current programs or efforts
As indicated above, efforts to provide housing to every homeless person across Canada is
not an easy process. It requires collaboration across multiple organizations, systems, and
individuals. Impressively though, most of the basic elements of the formula are already in place.
It is important to build on the momentum generated by stakeholders such as Housing first
Programs aimed at housing approximately 120 program participants annually (Evans, Collins,
and Anderson, 2016). According to a report by The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness
(n.d), since the launch of plans to end homelessness in Canada, a number of housing first
services have increased and based on the performance data taken from 2009 to 2013, it is argued
that the current system and programs have the capacity to rehouse more than 150 people per
year.
Rapid rehousing programs, for instance, provides targeted and time-limited financial
assistance and other supportive services to families and individuals who are experiencing
homelessness so that they quickly exit shelter and be able to obtain and retain housing. Other
outreach services, mainly focused with the youth also work on providing housing to them. Such
services complement the current system, including Prevention supports such as Rent Assistance
Initiative and Financial Administrator Programs among others. Such programs have lifted many
Canadians out of chronic homelessness and decreasing the number of homeless people
significantly. Such homelessness assistance programs, however, needs funding and budget
planning. The annual federal funding for homelessness is currently worth $119 million
(Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, n.d). To reduce this problem, more funding is needed. Designing Policy Options Assignment Paper.
b) Implementation of emergency and systems prevention services
Gaetz (2010) argues that one of the most and efficient and economically efficient methods of
ending homelessness in Canada is by preventing it from happening in the first place. Many
people have travelled into a predictable path that is homelessness. However, on their way to
homelessness, they come into contact with a person, a system or program that could prevent
them from becoming homeless. In order to successfully eradicate homelessness, the society
needs to come up with thoughtful and methodical prevention strategies.
In Canada, for instance, there should be emergency systems in place including emergency
assistance, early detection, housing support services, system coordination, and access to income
necessary to sustain housing. Financial assistance coupled with legislation can make this
possible. The federal government needs to come up with legislative policies made of social
programs aimed at connecting vulnerable populations with emergency services, temporary cash
assistance and case management among others (Bassuk and Geller, 2006).
Closely related to the above, systems prevention services should be put in place to ensure that
homeless persons released from state-run institutions such as jails or child welfare systems do
not fall into a state of homelessness again. By creating or designing clear paths to housing and
support from the aforementioned institutions in the form of case management coupled with other
housing assistance programs, Canada can be able to role that state-run bodies play in creating
homelessness in the country (Tsenkova and Witwer, 2011). Just like before, without community
support and funding from the federal government, such programs may not see the light of day.
Community collaboration and support coupled with sufficient budgetary allocations will see
successful implementations of such programs hence reducing homelessness in the country. Designing Policy Options Assignment Paper.
c) Data, research and the implementation of best practices
Ending the perennial problem of homelessness can seem like a daunting task due to its
apparent complexity. However, with research, data, and implementation of best practices aimed
with ending homelessness, one is able to know where to begin in an attempt to end
homelessness. Canada has no nationally-accepted definition of homelessness. In addition, there
are no reliable national statistics on the number of individuals who experience homelessness in
Canada (Gaetz, 2010). However, to reduce or eradicate this problem, every community needs to
have some form of information on the state of homelessness. Designing Policy Options Assignment Paper.Communities should be encouraged
to conduct biannual point-in-time census aimed at determining the number of homeless citizens
in every locality. Putting in place such effective means of collecting data on the rates of
homelessness will then demand for development and implementation of a Homeless
Management Information System (HMIS) as one of the plans to ending homelessness. In short,
an HMIS is a locally administered system that electronically collects and records client-level
data, especially for those individuals and families who are at risk of or experiencing a state of
homelessness (Tsenkova and Witwer, 2011).
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To effectively ensure that such systems are in place, information is important. The
community should be sufficiently informed on the importance of HMIS systems as mechanisms
put in place to identify where there are problems while establishing the best practices the best
practices that can be adapted to meet the needs of the community. Additionally, funding from the
federal government is needed to maintain and keep such systems running.
The above are not the only options. Other options to end homelessness exist. However,
building on current ongoing programs seem to be the best path that Canada can follow in order to
eradicate if not significantly reducing the problem of homelessness in the country. As the
country continues to move towards developing a more comprehensive approach aimed at ending
homelessness, there is a need to encourage current programs that are in place. The need to
connect families and individuals exiting homelessness to these programs is imperative in making
sure that they achieve independence and avoid being homeless. Designing Policy Options Assignment Paper.
References
Alina, T. (2014). At Home in Medicine Hat Our Plan to End Homelessness. MedicineHat
Community Housing Society, 1-66.
Austen, T. & Pauly, B. (2012). Homelessness Outcome Reporting Normative Framework:
Systems-Level Evaluation of Progress in Ending Homelessness. Evaluation Review,
36(1), 3-23.
Bassuk, E. & Geller, S. (2006). The role of housing and services in ending family homelessness.
Housing Policy Debate, 17(4), 781-806.
Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. (n.d). A Plan, Not a Dream. How to End Homelessness
in 10 Years, 1-14. Designing Policy Options Assignment Paper.
Evans, J., Collins, D., & Anderson, J. (2016). Homelessness, bedspace and the case for Housing
First in Canada. Social Science & Medicine.
Gaetz, S. (2010). The Struggle to End Homelessness in Canada: How we Created the Crisis, and
How We Can End it. The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 3, 21-26.
Laird G. (2007). Shelter: homelessness in a growth economy: Canada’s 21st century paradox-a
report for the Sheldon chumir foundation for ethics in leadership. Calgary, Sheldon
Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership 2007.
Tsenkova, S., & Witwer, M. (2011). Bridging the Gap: Policy Instruments to Encourage Private
Sector Provision of Affordable Rental Housing in Alberta. Canadian Journal Of Urban
Research, 20(1), 52-80. Designing Policy Options Assignment Paper.