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Income, Employment & Education
Inadequate income, employment and education are well documented as causes of and contributing factors to people cycling in and out of homelessness. Without a regular income from steady employment, and the skills and opportunities made available by education, it can be very difficult to afford decent, stable accommodation. Low levels of education and literacy often lead to and maintain poverty, as an individual's engagement in the labor market is limited. As well, difficulties with employment, education, and income support can be related to difficulties with health, mental health, and addictions. All of these factors both affect and are affected by homelessness.
In Canada, regardless of where you live, the more education a person possesses, the less likely he or she is to live in poverty. In mid-sized cities, poverty is highest among people with less than secondary school (21.4 per cent) and lowest among people with a university degree (7.0 per cent). The labou...r market increasingly demands high-skilled workers. Those individuals with relatively low levels of education are finding the labour market less and less accommodating. It is hard to stay out of poverty. Among people that are experiencing homelessness, many have not completed high school, and income support is often difficult to access. As well, those that do receive social assistance often face landlords who will not accept them or require substantial rent deposits in advance.
Because the education levels of people who are homeless are lower than the general public, they experience challenges with participating in the formal labour market, which is subject to taxation and regulation, and often provides benefits. Although people who are homeless would prefer to have regular jobs, as opposed to surviving by such strategies as panhandling, squeegeeing and the sex trade, being homeless makes it very difficult to obtain and maintain formal employment. They often do not have the applicable skills or experience required to find a job that pays a living wage. Additionally, being homeless makes job seeking and retention next to impossible. Not having a home means that people do not have an address to put on a resume, a phone number for job call backs, and a safe place to prepare for job. Being without a home means not having the opportunity to recover from a day's work in a safe environment where they can shower, get a good sleep, prepare their own food (including food to take to work) and recover from illness or injury.
When a homeless person is able to enter the formal labour market, it is often on the margins of the economy. They are forced to work in unsafe and unregulated jobs and are often paid under the table. In general, there is very little information on how to address the education and employment needs of homeless people in Canada. More research is needed but there is evidence that assistance with physical and learning disabilities could help to improve negative experiences with education and employment. People with low incomes, particularly those who have experienced long-term and deep poverty, face multiple obstacles to accessing formal educational institutions. And homeless families experience challenges in getting adequate educational supports for their children. Most programs for homeless youth in Canada focus on skills development (getting them into the job market) rather than on providing them with the opportunity to finish school.
There is a need for outreach activities and strong links with relevant community organizations and government agencies that all ready serve potential students. Assessments of student needs and capabilities, assistance with the costs of going to school (tuition, fees, books, housing, child care), and supports such as counseling, advocacy, networking and partnerships with employers are all potentially helpful strategies.
AUTHOR: Power, Asetha (2008) Homeless Hub.
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