Facebook Opinion Pieces Cyrille McIntosh

COMSTRAT 561 December 13, 2020

Opinion Piece #1

Opinion: Getting a job is easier said than done

Exploring the barriers to employment for those experiencing homelessness

You are walking down the streets of your hometown, when out of nowhere a voice calls you
from the ground. “Can you spare some change?” this individual asks. Failing to even
acknowledge their existence, you continue to walk your merry way thinking to yourself… get a
job.
Before you pass judgement, you should think twice. Homelessness can happen to anyone, and
it can certainly happen to you. Homeless individuals are being struck down with stigma,
prejudice and ridicule by society. Telling them to simply ‘get a job’ won’t help them in any way.
You don’t know what their situation is. You don’t know what they’re going through.
People experiencing homelessness face a number of challenges with finding employment in the
formal labour market. The stereotype that all homeless individuals are just too ‘lazy’ to work
and are just looking for handouts is simply not true. In fact, research has shown that people
experiencing homelessness want to work but face a number of barriers to employment,
including the experience of homelessness itself, plus other obstacles such as lack of experience,
physical or mental health barriers, and challenges related to re-entry from incarceration or
hospitalization (Homeless Hub).
Not having a home means that people experiencing homelessness may not have an address to
put on a resume, a phone number for job call backs, or even a safe place to prepare for job
interviews (Homeless Hub). They feel shame and embarrassment when they have to use a
shelter’s address or have to explain to their employer why they don’t have an ID or a bank
account – things we all simply take for granted. Many decide not to disclose their
homelessness status in fear of being automatically disqualified as a suitable candidate
(Homeless Hub). Even when a person experiencing homelessness is able to find employment, it
is often under precarious circumstances. Many are forced to work in unsafe and unregulated
jobs where pay is inconsistent with lower than average wage (not enough to make a living).
Some are exploited as cheap labour, and some having no other option turn to dangerous
methods of survival such as stealing, dealing drugs and/or sex work (Homeless Hub).
Let’s not forget that young individuals between the ages of 16-24 makes up about 20% of the
homeless population in Canada (Raising the Roof). Youth experiencing homelessness face a
number of additional barriers to employment compared to adults experiencing homelessness
such as: age discrimination, lack of life skills and lack of support with transition to adulthood
(Homeless Hub).
Facebook Opinion Pieces Cyrille McIntosh
COMSTRAT 561 December 13, 2020

So, the next time you pass by someone on the street, don’t be so quick to judge. We already
know how hard it can be to find employment these days. Now imagine trying to do so with a
multitude of barriers – most of which we all take for granted everyday. Try to understand their
situation from their point of view. You may learn a thing or two.

Sources:
https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/education-training-
employment/employment
https://www.raisingtheroof.org/about-homelessness/
https://homelesshub.ca/resource/overcoming-employment-barriers-populations-experiencing-
homelessness
https://www.homelesshub.ca/resource/when-theres-no-place-home-snapshot-womens-
homelessness-canada
Facebook Opinion Pieces Cyrille McIntosh
COMSTRAT 561 December 13, 2020

Opinion Piece #2

Opinion: Hidden homelessness exists

Someone you know may have experienced hidden homelessness at some point in their life

Close your eyes. Now picture someone who is homeless… Open your eyes – what did you see?
Was it a dirty individual, bundled up in the street, begging for change? Why is that? Why was
that the first image to come to mind? That is the result of the stigma attached to homelessness
– but in reality, homelessness is more complex than that.
Now ask yourself this… Have you ever couched surfed? Or have you ever helped out a friend in
need by offering them a place to stay? Do you know someone who has slept in their car
because they had no other option?... Did you know that is a form of homelessness called
“hidden homelessness”? In fact, nearly 1 in 10 Canadians have experienced hidden
homelessness at some point in their life (Statistics Canada).
Homelessness is commonly perceived as an individual sleeping on the street or in emergency
shelters – locations that are typically highly visible. But we need to understand that
homelessness is experienced in different ways. Hidden homelessness exists and refers
specifically to people who live “temporarily with others but without guarantee of continued
residency or immediate prospects for accessing permanent housing.” Often known as "couch
surfing," this describes people who are staying with relatives, friends, neighbors or strangers
because they have no other option (Homeless Hub). This population is considered to be
"hidden" because they usually do not access homeless supports and services even though they
are improperly or inadequately housed.
Studies have shown that a number of groups may be more vulnerable to experiencing hidden
homelessness. Those with history of childhood mistreatment, especially victims of physical and
sexual abuse before the age of 15 were more likely to have experienced hidden homelessness.
People with disabilities such as mental/psychological illness or learning disabilities were also
more likely to experience hidden homelessness. Every year, more women leave their homes –
often with their children in tow in search for temporary safety of a shelter for abused women.
Most of the time, people living with hidden homelessness may not consider themselves to be
homeless at all. Fear of stigma may lead some individuals, especially youth, to keep their
housing status secret, hindering their ability to enroll in services available to them – essentially
making them invisible to the service system.
Knowing that 1 in 10 people could experience such hardship really shows that homelessness
can happen to anyone. You likely know more than 10 people in your life, and one of them could
have experienced or is currently experiencing hidden homelessness. You, yourself could have
Facebook Opinion Pieces Cyrille McIntosh
COMSTRAT 561 December 13, 2020

experienced it, but simply did not realize. Do they look like the dirty beggar on the street that
you pictured in your mind earlier? Likely not. In truth, homelessness does not have a ‘face’ and
as a society, we have had a stereotypical view of homeless individuals as being alcoholics, drug
addicts, dangerous, mentally ill etc. when in reality, it is not so black and white. There is a
profound stigma around being homeless in Canada and in order to end homelessness, we must
first start with ending the stigma.

Sources:
https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/population-specific/hidden-homelessness
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/75-006-x/2016001/article/14678-eng.pdf?st=1L-
1g8GS
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/161115/dq161115b-eng.htm