Running Head: HEALTH AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 1

Health and Community Development

Name

Institution Affiliation
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Assignment 2

For this community assessment I will utilize the medical wheel approach for various

reasons. First, its aspects are constituents that we depend on in our daily lives to attain a healthy

and balanced way of living. Secondly, most of the participants in this study are Aboriginals of

Canada which makes them familiar to this approach. The medicine wheel approach best fits in

this assessment from the indigenous research perspective. The Medicine Wheel has been

described as a traditional symbol that is familiar to most Aboriginal communities, and it

interprets their realities in ways they better understand and appreciate (Verniest, 2016). This

approach covers four essential areas including spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental. It is

crucial for all the elements of the Medicine Wheel to be considered in an equal manner as well as

be established with the aim of attaining connection, balance, and holism using the volition of an

individual. Some of the foundational concepts of this approach include growth, connection,

balance, healing, and harmony (Verniest, 2016). The tool works in such a way that a person is

defined to be in a better position for healing and growth if the aspects of the Medical Wheel are

balanced. In this assessment I will utilize the Medicine Wheel approach to analyze homelessness

in the Calgary Community.

Applying the Medicine Wheel Approach to Homeless Community

Spiritual

The homeless people of Calgary had a feeling of separation from the indigenous cultures

of their indigenous community. This separation includes lacking a connection to their native

lands making them lack a sense of belonging and community which are among the major values
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in the indigenous perspective (Gaetz, 2014). Other forms of separation reported by the homeless

community in Calgary include lacking a connection to kinship and family networks, not

understanding their position or role to play in the community, connection to their Creator, or

even lacking a sense of identity. Notably, the homeless community also feels separated from

their spiritual belief systems including ceremonies, worldviews, stories and teachings. Most

individuals from the homeless community were in a bid to search the lost spiritual connection,

and for those who discovered their cultural traditions they felt a sense of relief. Besides, most of

the homeless people argued that they felt alienated by the political leaders making it hard for

them to forward their issues without a pre-judgment. From the study it was clear that the

homeless individuals practiced their culture as a method to cope with the challenges they faced.

However, it was not the only method utilized by the homeless community to heal, they also used

organized religion. Most individuals whose family of origin practiced organized religion adopted

it as a method of coping. Organized religion can be used as a method of the homeless

reconnecting with their community as well as attaining the sense of identity and belonging in the

society (Verniest, 2015).

Emotional

The homeless individuals narrated on their suffering tremendous emotional pain that was

associated with the daily challenges they faced. Lack of permanent housing was the primary

cause of their pain. For the women the situation was narrated to be more as their emotional

challenges were as a result of violence as well as having to bring up their children in a non-

conducive environment. Homelessness is a big blow to the self-esteem of these individuals

having that feeling that they cannot be able to provide suitable housing for their families (Gaetz,

2014). For the parents, they felt demoralized knowing they had no ability to find a permanent
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home for their children. Stressful emotions could be noted from the narration regarding their

lives when interviewed on what their typical day looks like. Some of the emotions that could be

noted from the homeless community in Calgary include hopelessness, grief, fear, worry and

anger which affected the respondents both physically and emotionally. Despite the difficulties

the homeless individuals had to endure, they still could afford positive emotions especially when

expressing their love for their children and how the kids fill their lives with hope. The remaining

little hope and love acted as the driver to work harder and give their children all they needed to

thrive including adequate housing.

Physical

The major physical threat faced by the homeless in Calgary is accessing safe and

affordable housing. The scarcity of housing forced the homeless community into relative

homelessness. Couch surfing was noted by majority of the homeless community who stated that

they often moved from place to place in search of a place to stay where they could live until they

felt they were no longer welcomed (Gaetz et al. 2017). Lacking a home puts the homeless

people’s safety at risk. Most homeless men reported of the many incidences they have

experienced physical violence. The women and the children were the most vulnerable to sexual

violence and physical violence. The participants reported on the intolerance received by the law

enforcement authorities who could chase them if found in places they were not allowed. This

forced the individuals to walk with their families throughout the night which predisposes them to

increased risk. Hunger was a common issue to a large percentage of homeless individuals

because their meager earnings could not sustain all their basics adequately (Gaetz, 2014).

Mental
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The homeless people in the Calgary City face immense barriers and challenges at the

same, and still they managed to show an incredible resilience. The homeless parents with

children put the safety and well being of their children utmost. The children acted as a

motivation to them as they had to save more to afford them better housing. Most of the homeless

people had sunk into drug addiction which they associated to despair and hopelessness to acquire

adequate housing. Most individuals were suffering different mental disorders including

depression.

Using Freire’s problem-posing method to analyze the root causes of homelessness.

Paulo Freire is popularly known for his pedagogy of the oppressed theory which stresses

on the importance of education in tackling oppression. Freire has tried to split down his theory in

such a manner it reveals how to eradicate and combat oppression to enhance liberation for every

individual in the community (Freire, 2018). According to Freire, critical awareness plays a

critical role when it comes to the liberation of the oppressed as it involves individuals expressing

their own thought processes and participating in developing solutions to their social problems.

According to this theorist, liberation is only possible when the facilitator and the student form a

partnership and dialogue on what should be enacted to result in a realized humanity for both the

oppressed and the oppressor. According to Freire, when an individual is on the receiving side of

oppression, they are likely to experience fear of freedom which cripples their critical

consciousness because fear makes the vulnerable people chained to their oppressive situations

(Romero, 2016). Freire posits that to understand a social problem it should be viewed from its

history, the present situation and the unexplained future (Freire, 2018). Freire proposes a

methodology that comprises various stages that are crucial for problem posing, and which can

help the researchers to actively focus on the dialogue. The conversation should entail listening to
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gain a detailed view of the felt community problems, involve the community when analyzing

root causes as well as identifying the best action to enhance change (Myers et al.2019).

Therefore, this study utilized the problem-posing methods by Freire to enable the respondents to

consider the political, socioeconomic, historical, and cultural aspects of the issue affecting them.

Some of the root causes of homelessness include the failures in essential systems. System

failures can be as a result of various support and care systems failing forcing the vulnerable

individuals to go back to the homelessness state (The Homeless Hub, 2019). These fails in these

systems can be prevented iif only the local authorities come up with the strategies that can

address the need. Examples of these system failures include unplanned transitions from the child

welfare, poor discharge planning when people are leaving healthcare centers, addiction and

mental health facilities, and correctional facilities. This relates to Freire’s argument that the

existing social and economic structures have to a larger extent hindered people of the low-social

class from achieving optimum potential (Romero, 2016). Sociologists have asserted that it is

only by developing alternative and effective social, political, economic, and ideological systems

that the oppressed can get a chance to be involved in community building. Most of the chronic

homeless individuals in Calgary felt that their situation was worsened by the existing unfair

economic systems that favor the oppressor at the expense of the oppressed individuals.

Another cause of homelessness in Calgary is the critical shortage of adequate housing.

The limited number of housing that is safe, affordable and stable has significantly contributed to

homelessness. Scholars assert that most individuals comprising the homeless community earn

lowly thus cannot afford to pay for rental housing or rather afford permanent housing for their

families (Gaetz et al. 2017). A large percentage of the homeless individuals argued that their

state predisposed them to discrimination which affected their access to housing, employment,
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helpful services, as well as justice. According to Freire, discrimination makes the oppressed to

have fear of freedom which binds the less privileged to their situation no matter how hard they

try to secure better housing (Myers et al. 2019). The oppressed lack the ability to view reality

clearly which continues to enslave them to oppression.

The structural factors contributing to homelessness in Calgary encompass the societal and

economic issues that impact the social environments and opportunities for the vulnerable

individuals. Key factors stated by the participants in this study include inaccessibility to

affordable housing, low wages or income, as well as suffering from discrimination and lack of

health supports (The Homeless Hub, 2019). Shifts in the Canadian economy have made it

difficult, both locally and nationally, for people to earn an income that sustain their basic needs

including housing and food (Gaetz, 2014). Most of the homeless individuals complained on the

reduced benefits for the low income people including social welfare services, post-secondary

education, as well as health. A large number of the participants narrated on how frustrated they

were with the agencies as they felt the agencies were not playing their role in improving their

situation. Besides, there is no federal housing policy that was concerned with the homeless

people which has made it hard to close the existing gap between people who can afford housing

and the homeless. A national policy aimed at housing the homeless as well as address the root

causes of homelessness is essential to address this issue. However, political will is primary to

address the issue. The conflict that exists between the federal and local authority regarding who

should take responsibility of housing the homeless in Calgary has resulted in increase of the

homeless rather than solving the issue at hand. However, the cities and few non-profit

organizations have come up with housing projects aimed at housing the homeless but it cannot

be effective with a national policy supporting them (Gaetz, et al. 2017). It is a result of the above
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root causes of the homelessness that the homeless community should be involved in decisions

affecting them. This is in relation to Freire’s argument where he poses that the oppressed better

understand the challenges affecting them and it is only through their involvement that better

solutions can be formulated (Freire, 2018).

According to the city of Calgary, homelessness defines all individuals without a physical

or permanent shelter of their own, which includes those accommodated in emergency shelters

(Kneebone et al. 2015). Therefore, in Calgary the homeless include those who live in streets,

emergency shelter, and transitional housing among others. In this assessment, the individuals

included are those who do not have shelter completely, those residing in emergency shelters and

transitional housing, the people in provincial health facilities, correctional centers, and

provisional accommodations, as well as those suffering chronic homelessness. The methods used

for collection of information included interviews, using key informants, and administrating

questionnaires. All individuals were included in the study regardless of gender, sex, race or

ethnicity. The youth, women and men, as well as the elderly and people living with disabilities

were all included in this assessment. The children who had attained 6 years and above were not

interviewed, they were only used in updating the statistics of homeless children. The elderly

were also assessed, and the definition of the elderly included all people with 65 years and above.

The study was conducted in the North east Calgary and the inclusion criteria was as

follows; the individuals had to be over 18 years, suffering any form of homelessness (chronic,

living in emergency shelters, transitional housing, and those living in streets), and have been

residing in the city for more then 6 months. Other considerations included individuals willing to

reside in the city for the next two or more years, having a high level of need, and having
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moderate to severe disability. The exclusion criteria in the assessment included children who had

not attained 18 years, critically ill, incapacitated, or injured individuals, mothers with dependent

or young children, as well as pregnant mothers who were not willing to participate. Individuals

who were considered to be a priority need in the study include pregnant women and those with

young and dependent children, those whose homeless is as a result of a disaster include fire and

floods, vulnerable individuals such as the elderly, ill people, and those with physical disabilities

and mental health problems. Others who were viewed under priority need include individuals at

a high risk of financial and sexual exploitation, those vulnerable because of the time they spent

in prisons, hospitals and armed forces, as well as violence both racial and domestic. To

determine the priority issues, it is essential to involve both the public and private housing

agencies and councils who use legal means to give priority to specific groups and needs

especially those who are defined by law as being homeless (Kneebone et al. 2015).
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References

Freire, P. (2018). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Bloomsbury publishing USA.

Gaetz, D., Richter, R., Gaetz, O. G., & Kidd, S. (2017). Turning Off the Tap on Homelessness.

Gaetz, S. (2014). A safe and decent place to live: Towards a Housing First framework for youth.

Canadian Homelessness Research Network.

Gamble, D. N., & Weil, M. (2010). Community practice skills: Local to global perspectives.

New York: Columbia University Press.

Kneebone, R., Bell, M., Jackson,N., Jadidzac, A., (2015), Who Are The Homeless? Numbers,

Trends And Characteristics Of Those Without Homes In Calgary. University of Calgary.

8(11).https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/who-are-homeless-

kneebone-bell-jackson-jadidzadeh.pdf

Myers, W., Pippin, T., Carvalhaes, C., & De Anda, N. (2019). Forum on Paulo Freire's

pedagogy: Leaning educationally into our future. Teaching Theology & Religion, 22(1),

56-72.

Romero, A. J. (2016). Youth-Community Partnerships for Adolescent Alcohol Prevention.

The Homeless Hub (2019). Causes Of Homelessness. Homelesshub.ca. Retrieved 16 September

2019, from https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/homelessness-101/causes-

homelessness

Verniest, I. (2015). Allying With the Medicine Wheel: Social Work Practice with Aboriginal

Peoples | Critical Social Work - University of Windsor. (2019). Www1.uwindsor.ca.

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Retrieved 16 September 2019, from http://www1.uwindsor.ca/criticalsocialwork/allying-

with-the-medicine-wheel-social-work-practice-with-aboriginal-peoples