A homeless person lies in a tent pitched in downtown Toronto in April 2020. New research suggests we need to focus less on new technologies to streamline social services and more on the people entwined in these systems.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
While technology can be a useful tool, it can also divert funding and attention from the root causes of the social welfare issues it aims to address.
A core focus of palliative care is on easing symptoms and increasing quality of life for people who have a serious or chronic illness, and not solely for those who are dying.
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The challenging realities surrounding end-of-life care are especially difficult for older people experiencing homelessness, who have more barriers to accessing hospice care.
Local councils lack the means to tackle homelessness, but are often closest to the people at risk. A national plan should recognise and resource the role councils can play in preventing homelessness.
I met Father Bob Maguire as a young filmmaker in 1990. The words he spoke to me then still reverberate today.
Antonio Magalhaes holds his wife Andrea Magalhaes as they walk towards Keele Station, where their 16-year-old son, Gabriel Magalhaes, was killed in a random attack in the Toronto subway system.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin
Andrea Magalhaes hasn’t demanded vengeance since her son was murdered — she’s called for expanding the social safety net to address the root causes of crime. Public officials should listen to her.
In any given town, community and neighbourhood there will be homeless children, sometimes as young as 10, who are surviving without the effective care and protection of parents or guardians.
Brisbane rents are up nearly 50% more than the national average and homelessness in Queensland is increasing at the fastest rate in the country. The state can take several steps to turn things around.
Three bills to go before parliament confirm the Albanese government is restoring the Commonwealth to a leadership role on housing issues. But there are still gaps in its approach.
Involuntary treatment for homeless people aims to help – but also raises ethical debates.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
Current discussions about ‘homelessness’ have echoes of the past treatment of vagrants. New historical research tells us more about the lives of people during periods of social and economic hardship.
A wall at a supervised consumption site in Ottawa is decorated with notes written in chalk.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Supervised consumption sites provide essential community connections and services for those who use them. By closing them, governments are risking the welfare of people who use drugs.
Bail hearings are underway for the eight teenage girls charged in the murder of a man in Toronto.
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Eight teen girls are charged in the stabbing death of a homeless man in Toronto. Research shows that jurors tend to respond when the perpetrator of a crime is or appears to be younger.
A homeless person and a dog sleep in a Barcelona street on a rainy day.
Shutterstock / Bogdan Khmelnytskyi
The main driver of homelessness in Australia is housing costs – post-COVID rents, house prices and interest rates are all much higher. To house everyone, the housing system needs a major overhaul.
Protestors in Gqeberha, South Africa, demonstrating against gender-based violence.
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Improving access to affordable housing and increasing benefit assistance rates are some sustainable solutions to the chronic cycle of homelessness faced by women fleeing violence.
In Canada, just over 10 per cent of households live in housing that is unaffordable, unsuitable or inadequate, and they cannot afford alternative housing in their community.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Halfway through its 10-year mandate to address issues like affordability and homelessness, the National Housing Strategy is providing little benefit for the vast majority of vulnerable households.
Art installation ‘Liverpool, Love of My Life’ by Chila Kumari Burman, part of the city’s 2021 River of Light trail.
Peter Byrne/PA/Alamy
A new environment calls for new approaches to policy-making that can more effectively navigate the complexities of today’s world.
Tents line the sidewalk on East Hastings Street in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Cities like Vancouver should not clear encampments when people have nowhere else to go.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Cities are clearing homeless encampments, sometimes violently, without providing those who live there any alternatives. Long-term solutions are needed to help people off the streets.