Canadian Observatory on Homelessness
The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. The COH is the curator of the Homeless Hub.
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The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. The COH is the curator of the Homeless Hub.
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Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2013
Every day many of us see a homeless person holding a sign or a cup begging for money. The kind-hearted people among us often give spare change or a dollar to this homeless person. However, we may ask ourselves, "Will a dollar make a difference in the life we've just touched?"
Yes, a financial gift of any amount does make a difference -- a number of differences, in fact. With our contribution, the homeless person will be able to accumulate enough...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Organization: Huffington Post
Publication Date: 2012
Christine Schanes wrote a series of articles regarding the myths surrounding homelessness originally posted on the Huffington Post. Below you will find links to her articles which address some of the judgments that people make and the stigma associated with homelessness. Myths are widely held thoughts or beliefs that are generally not true and addressing these helps to clear up misconceptions.
Homelessness Myth #1: "Get a Job!" Homelessness Myth...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2009
This post begins a series of articles about the myths surrounding homelessness. Myths are just widely held thoughts or beliefs that are not generally true. Possibly one of the most widely expressed myths is that homeless people would not be homeless except for the fact they don't want to get a job.
First, many homeless people are employed while some even have two jobs. Usually, these people sleep under some kind of shelter. They may be living in...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2009
Absolutes can be tricky because there is usually an exception that "proves" or breaks every rule. We have often heard the expression, "Never say never!" We generally know in our hearts that in the world of human beings, no one is perfect, no rule remains unbroken and no expressions are absolute.
The same is true with homeless people. There are no absolutes. Just based on what we intuit about the world around us, we know that each homeless person...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2009
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Renewal (HUD) requires that every two years during the last seven days of January, Continuum of Care (CoC) systems (those agencies that HUD funds on a competitive basis) count the number of homeless people within their geographical areas.
HUD guidelines suggest that the best practice for counting homeless people is to count unsheltered homeless people on the same night as counting people staying in shelter...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2009
On December 8th, the San Diego Union Tribune reported that on the previous day, the County of San Diego, California experienced one of "the most powerful winter storms in several years...bringing damaging winds, record-setting rainfall and several inches of snow to the mountains."
My homeless friend Maurice supplied me with the following video of the situation of homeless people in downtown San Diego and the efforts of Alpha Project president, Bo...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
Some of us ignore the issues of homelessness. When we walk past homeless people, we may even pretend that these people do not exist. I call the act of ignoring homeless people who are right in front of our eyes, "sleep-waking past homeless people."
Of course, sleeping is a natural function for all human beings. Mark Stibich, PhD. wrote in About.com Guide, updated on May 8, 2009, that sleep is important for people because:
1. Sleep keeps your hea...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
Last post, I wrote that we need to wake up to the issues of homelessness. First, we need to be become aware, then we need to become educated. And through this education, our compassion will be re-awakened. No longer should we sleepwalk through the issues of homelessness.
In this companion post, I asked some homeless people to share their feelings about sleep. I made no suggestions on what they should or should not share. I share their feelings wi...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
"Transient" is the new "N" word. Although commonly used, the word, "transient," is often used to disparage homeless people, much as the "N" word was used in the past to disparage African-American people.
By formal definition, the word, "transient," comes from the Latin, transire - to go over, to go. Dictionary.com gives definitions for this term as an adjective as in "passing with time; transitory" and as a noun, "one that is transient, especiall...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
Since the 1970s, as homelessness in the United States increased dramatically, some social service agencies created short-term homeless emergency shelters and transitional housing facilities to house homeless people. Some service providers emphasized the importance of finding jobs for their clients. Their theory, "Jobs First," was that once their homeless clients had jobs, they would be able to afford their own apartments and be housed permanently...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
Many people feel that homelessness will never end. They believe that homelessness is just too big a problem to solve. Because of this belief, some people become paralyzed, unable or unwilling to see any resolution to the pain caused by homelessness for millions of families and individuals.
I firmly believe that homelessness can be solved. We created homelessness by cutting programs without providing programs that kept people housed. As more and m...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve. -
- Albert Schweitzer
I am fortunate to know some very busy people who, through their service, help make this world a better place to live. Even though they seldom take time off for rest and relaxation, they continue to work tirelessly for the benefit of all of us. They are happy, eve...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
For most homeless people, rest is a luxury. When people are unsheltered, they don't have a home within which to retreat for rest and relaxation. Often they are challenged to get the full amount of rest and sleep that human beings need to function effectively in the world.
Further, each day many homeless people are busy with a host of activities, including locating work opportunities, going to government agencies, arriving at health appointments,...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
Question: should corporations care about helping to solve homelessness? In the United States, corporations are created by the action of each of the 50 States and are subject to hosts of regulations. They also have rights under the US Constitution. With rights, however, come responsibilities ...
Since the creation of the US Constitution, the rights of corporations have been debated. The US Supreme Court has been determining the constitutional righ...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
Within the past month, The Black, a head shop in Ocean Beach, California, began selling a three and one-half inch square sticker that reads, "Welcome to Ocean Beach. Please Don't Feed Our Bums!"
Ken Anderson, buyer for The Black, thought that these stickers were "bad satire," but would be a big seller for because "people are tired of the aggressive panhandling of the homeless kids." He said that while he and the OB Community felt fine about the o...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
No one truly chooses to be homeless.
Certainly, the nearly 50 percent of homeless people who are women and children don't choose homelessness over being housed.
Further, the 25 percent to 40 percent of homeless people who are reportedly veterans would presumably prefer to re-establish the lives that they had before their military service rather than choose to become homeless.
Finally, we know that 35 percent to 45 percent of all homeless people s...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
"Why don't homeless people just pull themselves up by their own bootstraps?" What I believe some housed people mean by this question is that homeless people should be able to get themselves out of homelessness by themselves, through their own efforts. Of all the myths about homelessness, I feel that this myth indicates the least understanding about the situation in which homeless people find themselves.
Homelessness is a very complex issue. Actua...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2010
The myth that helping a homeless person makes him/her dependent, in other words, "infantilizes" him/her, is sometimes used as a rationale not to help a person in need. I believe the concepts that are being confused in this myth are the concepts of "helping" another person versus "rescuing" another person. It is important to understand the practical implications of these concepts so we can expose this myth for what it is -- an excuse not to help a...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2011
In my opinion, the popular myth that homeless people "flock" to any particular city to take advantage of its services is cruel. This myth is espoused by some housed people, including some people in positions of political power in certain municipalities. They argue that their city should not offer humanitarian services or add further services to what they are already providing to homeless people, because, if they do, more homeless people will be a...
Author(s): Christine Schanes
Publication Date: 2011
Homeless is first and foremost a social service issue. In other words, homelessness can be and will be resolved through the work of compassionate individuals and social service agencies, be they nonprofit organizations or government agencies. Nevertheless, the myth exists that homelessness is primarily a police issue.
If homelessness is truly a social service issue, why is police activity often seen as the ultimate solution to ending homelessness...