Fighting the Battle against Crime by Reducing Homelessness
A couple of years ago I was blessed with the opportunity to volunteer with the vulnerable sector here in Kitchener/Waterloo. Specifically, I volunteered with homeless youth under age 25. During this time I was able to get to know many of the youth and listen to their stories. My very first shift I went home an emotional wreck after having a conversation with a young girl not much older than my own daughter.
It wasn’t long before I became acutely aware of the higher incidence of drug use, mental health problems and criminal activity among this population.
Someone said to me one day, ‘they have a choice, we all have choices.’ My reply was ‘sure we all have choices but we have not all been given the same tools to make good choices. How can I compare myself, who grew up with 2 upstanding parents and all the social support a child should need to someone who was sexually abused from the time they could walk or someone who was given their first hit of crack by their own mother at the age of 16.’ Unfortunately many of our homeless population were not raised with good role models or a good set of standards. They once left the hospital as precious, innocent and adorable as any other infant. What they went home to however, is more often than not less than acceptable. Fast forward several years and we find an adult struggling with addiction, mental health issues and homelessness all leading to criminal activity.
Here we find the beginning of a two-way cycle. Those who are homeless have a higher probability of ending up in prison while those being released from prison have a higher likelihood of ending up homeless. Once someone has a criminal record it is very difficult to find a job no matter how hard they try to change their life around. Often the rejection turns them back to crime. The same goes for substance abuse where substance abuse often leads to homelessness and homelessness often leads to substance abuse. Addictions often cause someone to lose their job and housing. Using drugs or alcohol also becomes a way to cope with life on the street.
On the other side we have a society that is often quick to judge and quick to condemn often due to a lack of awareness. People feel uncomfortable with it and try to look the other way. It’s easier to make donations to charities such as to the food bank than to look in the face of a homeless person on the street.
While food banks and shelters do a great job of providing for immediate needs, they are merely band-aid solutions. They treat the immediate problem not the root of the problem. What we need is to create awareness for other fundamental necessities for tackling homelessness and the crime it brings with it.
We need a plan to create awareness of costs of providing stable housing versus the much higher costs of providing services to the homeless. (ie. Institution, shelters, healthcare, and social services) It is difficult for someone without a place to call home to receive and accept the help they need for addiction and mental health. Without this there is difficulty in reducing the crime rate. Those who seek treatment such as rehab often have nowhere else to go but back in the same street or shelter environment, making relapse highly likely. It’s a set-up for failure. When we provide those in need with stable housing we give the opportunity to live with dignity, reduce crime, reduce addiction and give the opportunity for better success. It is a win, win situation. The more people we help get into stable housing the less financial burden on society and less crime in our community. We build a system that encourages social competency. Give respect to gain respect. This is the message we need to get out. We need to put as much effort into creating awareness and fundraising for this as we do when collecting food and socks.
The diagram below shows the connection between homelessness, substance abuse, mental health, crime and unemployment. If we take homelessness out we have a better chance at battling the other problems.
Lets help society to see the person behind the face. Lets take the homeless away from the street environment and give them a place to call home and give them some dignity and a foundation in which to grow.
Author: Sheri Cartwright
In the past Sheri has volunteered with homeless youth in Kitchener at ROOF – Reaching Our Outdoor Friends. Currently she volunteers for the KW Youth Basketball Association as volunteer coordinator and coach. She also runs the Community Dialogue website and is involved in community building and creating awareness in hopes of helping to break down barriers and stereotypes to help create a healthier, safer community. She graduated from Health Studies at UW last year and recently started Dynamic Health Promotion.
Find more community responses from colleague’s in Waterloo Region who also work to reduce homelessness:
- Excuse me Waterloo Region, Your homelessness is showing by Lynn Macauley, Homelessness and Housing Umbrella Group (HHUG).
- Housing is crime & victimization prevention by Lindsay Klassen, Program Manager, Supportive Housing of Waterloo.
- Knowing other people care: The importance of community to women who have experienced homelessnessby Elizabeth Clarke, Chief Executive Officer,YWCA Kitchener Waterloo.