Term Assignment: Sociological Research Paper

Hunter Albis
SOCI – 1407
Patrick Dwyer
December 2, 2020
 After exploring my community, I discovered one social problem that has been

significantly increasing which is homelessness. Durham Region has seen a considerable increase

in homelessness due to many factors, including Covid-19, which has led to an unequal allocation

of resources. The main three things I will be talking about is how it is a social problem, a social

perspective analysis, as well as solutions to help reduce homelessness.

Homelessness is a major impact to our society. CTV completed a Nanos Research survey

and they discovered that although 7 out of 10 people wish to end homelessness in Canada, we do

not do anything to help or reduce the situation (Cousins, 2020). Homelessness is a huge social

problem in Canada because of limited resources and the rise of expenses. As the housing prices

increase in Durham Region, many people are unable to afford housing whether it be to purchase

or rent. The minimum wage in Ontario is $14/hour, although, this might seem like a decent

wage, after subtracting taxes, and daily living expense it is not enough to live. According to CBC

News, if I lived alone in a one-bedroom apartment in Oshawa, I would be required to make

approximately $23/hour to afford a place and live somewhat comfortably (Government survives

two confidence votes | CBC News 2005).

Capitalism is the leading source of homelessness. There will always be two classes of

society, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. According to Karl Marx's Theory, he explained that

with capitalism, there will always be a bourgeoisie (a person who profits and owns a production

company) and proletariat ( which is a person who must sell their labor to make money)

(Macionis, Jansson, Burkowicz, & Benoit, 2016).

 The one sociological perspective that corresponds with Homelessness is Conflict- theory

(Macionis, Jansson, Burkowicz, & Benoit, 2016).   I believe homelessness coincides with

conflict theory because, there is a lack of resources provided to everyone. Conflict – theory

emphasizes the power differential within our society and occurs as a result of limited resources,

resulting in competition, which can then lead to fighting. As people fight for power, more

competition occurs within the society, resulting in some people losing everything, making them

homeless. As our population grows within Canada, our supply decreases while our demand

increases, therefor raising prices. Karl Marx once said, "Socialism is when the rich get richer,

and the poor get poorer. When a person gets hungry, that's Socialism too. Some might say that

it's when the workers own the means of production, but this is all an elaborate plot for us wealthy

folks to keep bread for ourselves (Nelson, 2019)." If you look at today's society; the rich people

get rewarded by investing their money into stocks, bonds, RSPS, and much more; the poor

people unfortunately can not afford those investments and may get credit cards to help with daily

finances, when you are unable to pay a credit card the bill on time, you are charged interest

which can build up resulting in people becoming more in debt. Because Capitalism causes the

unequal distribution of supplies among members of society, while also forcing individuals to be

continuously concerned with financial success to live, people are unable to live a comfortable

life. More people now are living paycheck to paycheck, hoping that they will be able to pay all

of their bills this month.

Providing accessible housing and health care to the homeless are two very important, well-

supported solutions, that I feel can be easily attained. Providing housing is essential to homeless

people because it could be the crucial first step to success. Without accommodation, they would
not be able to get certain services or support, which is vital to their recovery process (Deploy

Housing First Systemwide). The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, has many

solutions to remedy housing difficulties, including; deploy housing first systemwide, supportive

housing, rapid re-housing, affordable housing, and landlord engagement. Deploy housing first

systemwide is a way to get homeless people off the streets into permanent housing while also

making sure they are providing support services or groups for their recovery (Deploy Housing

First Systemwide). Supportive housing provides services, such as nurses, to help the people

living in the residence. Supportive housing is typically meant to accommodate people with

special needs/disabilities (Supportive Housing).Rapid re-housing is an intervention designed to

find a homeless person or a family a permanent house in a short notice (only people or families

they deem acceptable to live on their own) (Rapid Re-Housing). Affordable housing is set into

place to help people who are at risk of becoming homeless by reducing living costs and

expenses, so people do not become homeless (Affordable Housing). Landlord engagement is

people who help other homeless people find affordable housing in places where housing is

limited, for example in a big city (Landlord Engagement).

Accessible Health Care is also another solution to help homelessness. According to

homelesshub.ca, "There are no accurate numbers that tell us how many people who are

experiencing homelessness also live with a disability, but experience and anecdotal information

shows that it is quite high." More accessible health care will allow homeless people to receive

the medication they need, resulting in them becoming more aware of their situation (People with

Disabilities). Many homeless people also face substance abuse problems that go unchecked for

an extended period of time. With a more efficient health care system set in place it would help
people with substance abuse problems by making sure they go to a specific rehab facility in order

to get help with their addiction (Integrate Health Care). 

In the appendix, there is a picture that shows homeless men under a bridge in Oshawa. This

picture is relevant and impactful because it shows the increase in homelessness in our region

With this issue on the rise I am confused as to why “a group of independent volunteers and

homelessness advocates that have been providing hundreds of meals to

Oshawa’s homeless every day since the start of the pandemic are being told to shut down

their operation in Memorial Park (Rosen, 2020).” I think it is essential to take action and

attempt to resolve this social problem (Szekely, 2018).

Homelessness has become a social problem due mostly to the massive economic growth

in Oshawa, Durham Region, Ontario, and World Wide. Conflict theory suggests that while there

are two social classes in a society, homelessness will always be inevitable, but as a society I feel

that if we implement solutions, we can reduce homelessness which will get people off the streets

and allow them to start a new life.

 References

Macionis, J., Jansson, M., Burkowicz, J., & Benoit, C. (2016, February 17). Society: The Basics,

Sixth Canadian Edition. Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://revel-

ise.pearson.com/courses/5f58fa10a81531001a506ce1/pages/a3584cae538270356598d72d4

5784aa5e5037abfd?source=contents

Affordable Housing. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from

https://www.usich.gov/solutions/housing/affordable-housing/

Cousins, B. (2020, August 12). Canada's rate of homelessness may be higher than reported:

Nanos survey. Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-s-

rate-of-homelessness-may-be-higher-than-reported-nanos-survey-1.5060801
Deploy Housing First Systemwide. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from

https://www.usich.gov/solutions/housing/housing-first/

Government survives two confidence votes | CBC News. (2005, May 19). Retrieved December

06, 2020, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/ccpa-rents-minimum-wage-1.521625

Integrate Health Care. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from

https://www.usich.gov/solutions/health-care/

Landlord Engagement. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from

https://www.usich.gov/solutions/housing/landlord-engagement/

People with Disabilities. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from

https://www.homelesshub.ca/solutions/priority-populations/people-disabilities

Rapid Re-Housing. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from

https://www.usich.gov/solutions/housing/rapid-re-housing/

Supportive Housing. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from

https://www.usich.gov/solutions/housing/supportive-housing/

Nelson, K. (2019, November 12). Republicans Must Counter the Radical Socialist Democrats.

Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://drrichswier.com/2019/11/12/republicans-must-

counter-the-radical-socialist-democrats/
Szekely, R. (2018, August 02). Growing tent cities as Oshawa struggles with homelessness

crisis. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/8772913-

growing-tent-cities-as-oshawa-struggles-with-homelessness-crisis/

Rosen, B. (2020, September 01). Group handing out meals to Oshawa's homeless asked by city

to vacate public park. Retrieved December 05, 2020, from

https://globalnews.ca/news/7310493/homeless-volunteers-oshawa-evicted/

Appendix

Picture 1 (Szekely, 2018)