These days, every news channel you encounter is covering some aspect of the COVID-19 vaccine. One interesting but controversial topic is who should be given priority. On February 2, Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness and Canadian Network for the Health and Housing released a joint statement, advocating to prioritize COVID-19 immunization for people experiencing homelessness1. Should the homeless be given priority to the COVID-19 vaccine? For a plethora of reasons, the answer to this question should be an enthusiastic “yes”. The following will inform and inspire you to agree!
Author Archives: caunicef
ALBERTA’S RACIST ROOTS AND WHY THEY MATTER
As an Albertan, how much do you know about anti-black racism and its beginnings in our community? In 2017, Alberta became the fourth province in Canada to recognize February as Black History Month, and yet still, the majority of Albertans—admittedly, myself included—know very little about the complex history of African-Canadians in our province. So what is that history and why has it been so largely undiscovered? And, more importantly, why should we pay attention to it? In this post, I not only want to discuss and celebrate the rich history of Black peoples in Alberta but delve into the institutionalized racism of the past that has set the stage for the many struggles the Black community still face today.
HOMELESSNESS IN LGBTQ+ YOUTH
As much as we would like to believe that the discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ+ people has diminished in modern times, especially in progressive countries like Canada, we must remember that it hasn’t been too long since homosexuality was demedicalized and decriminalized. Discrimination against sexual minorities still prevails as suggested by the data from Statistics Canada: sexual minorities are violently victimized more often than their heterosexual counterparts. Similarly, such discrimination is also reflected in homelessness. According to a survey conducted in 2016, young people (aged 13-24) contribute to 20% of the Canadian homeless population, and of those, 29.5% identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community (Gaetz 6). This amount is almost as much as the contribution of Indigenous youth (30.6%) and is substantial considering that the LGBTQ+ community makes up a smaller population in Canada than the Indigenous community. The disproportionate representation of the homeless youth population by minorities suggests that there may be social factors causing this over-representation. This post focuses on sexual minorities, addressing the question, “what are the social causes behind LGBTQ+ youth homelessness, and what are the possible solutions to it?”
A CANADIAN COLONIAL LEGACY: HOMELESS INDIGENOUS YOUTH
Homelessness disproportionately impacts Indigenous peoples on a global scale. As a country that has legacies of colonialism, specifically in the capacity of residential schooling for indigenous youth, Canada’s homeless demographic is largely composed of those with indigenous identity. Data shows that these legacies, such as abusive childhoods, are the cause for many indigenous youths to leave home. In order to reduce the rates of homeless Indigenous youth, we need to listen to Indigenous perspectives and live our day-to-day lives with cultural awareness.
PART 2: HOW COVID-19 HAS WORSENED DISPARITIES AMONG HOMELESS WOMEN
Through researching domestic violence and homelessness, I sought out a second shelter for insight on how these conditions affect cultural and religious minorities. In this blog, I had the privilege of engaging with Nisa Homes, where I spoke with a caseworker named Majeda. Majeda started by explaining how her role at the home was to work one on one with the incoming women, primarily regarding client referrals, and administration. Being a caseworker, Majeda is the one to receive the initial calls from women in need, and in a way, she is the bridge to the safe haven that is Nisa Homes for women.
HOW COVID-19 HAS WORSENED DISPARITIES AMONG HOMELESS WOMEN
As often as we’d like to imagine “when this is all over”, we must admit that there is privilege in such a hopeful sentiment; the pretence that aside from the temporary health measures and minor inconveniences we’ve had to face, that the general aspects of our lives will soon return to their objective normal, is rooted in privilege and to an extent, misinformation. Economic decline, increased unemployment rates and shortages across the nation have all led to increased rates of homelessness, a condition that has unfortunately worsened in Canada and is found to have impacted minorities disproportionately. Today I shall discuss how the pandemic has disportionately impacted homeless women in Canada, who not only face oppression by class, but must also endure oppression by gender, as a result of the domestic violence that drives women out of their homes, threatening their survival. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in every 3 women will experience domestic abuse or violence at least once in their lifetime, and according to the Canadian Women’s foundation, on any given night in Canada, 3,491 women and their 2,724 children, must sleep in shelters because they face risks in their own homes. This, combined with the 70% of spousal violence that is not reported to the police (Canadian Women’s Foundation, 2018), makes it instinctively clear that the rates of family and gender based violence greatly impact the percentage of women who are a part of Canada’s homeless population today. To better understand the conditions these women must face, I sought out the leaders of two local long term women’s’ homeless shelters: WINGS of Providence, and Nisa Homes, both of which specialize in providing quality care and programming to women who have faced homelessness, domestic violence and food insecurity. In today’s blog, reflection will take place primarily through utilizing the WINGS’ coordinator’s experiences.
Campus UNICEF 