PRB 99-1E
HOMELESSNESS
Prepared by:
Patricia Begin, Lyne Casavant, Nancy Miller Chenier,
Political and Social Affairs Division
Jean Dupuis, Economics Division
January 1999
MODULE CONTENTS
OVERVIEW
The Growing Numbers of the
Homeless
1987: A
Turning Point in Research on the Homeless
Objectives of This Modular
Document
DEFINITION OF HOMELESSNESS
The
Search for a Definition of Homelessness
Three Types of Homelessness
Methodological Issues
Summary
COUNTING
THE HOMELESS
At the Heart of the Debate: How Many Homeless
People are There?
The Canadian Situation in the Enumeration of the
Homeless
A.
First Attempt at Enumerating the Homeless
B.
Second Attempt at Enumerating the Homeless
Lack of
Official Data on the Homeless
A.
The Committee’s Comments
B. Responses of
Governments
A Political Issue
A
Methodological Research Process Designed to Enhance
Our
Knowledge about Homelessness in Canada
Summary
COMPOSITION OF THE HOMELESS POPULATION
Some Groups Previously Underrepresented among the
Homeless
A. Women
B. Youth
C.
Aboriginal Peoples
D. Families
Summary
HEALTH
AND HOMELESSNESS
Introduction
The Health of the Homeless
General Barriers to Good Health and Possible Solutions
The
Health of Specific Homeless Groups
A. Youth
B. Women
C. The Mentally Ill
D. Aboriginal People
Federal
Role in the Health of the Homeless
HOUSING AND PARLIAMENTARY ACTION
Overview
Chronology
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON
FACTORS
CONTRIBUTING TO HOMELESSNESS
Overview
The American Experience
A. A Brief
Chronology
B. U.S. Studies: Possible Explanations for
the Rise of Homelessness
1.
Decline of Inexpensive Housing Stock
2. The Decline of the Casual Labour Market
3.
Deinstitutionalization
4. Substance Abuse and the Advent of Crack
Cocaine
5.
Changes in Income Distribution
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