[homeles_ot-l] A report on the perceptions of homelessness and poverty in Canada

[Lynne Browne]

A report just released by the Salvation Army Canada; see below for 2 media
stories.

 

Poverty shouldn't be a life sentence

A report on the perceptions of homelessness and poverty in Canada

 


True
<http://www.salvationarmy.ca/2010/05/02/true-or-false-homelessness-affects-v
ery-few-canadians/>  or False? Homelessness affects very few Canadians
(http://www.salvationarmy.ca/2010/05/02/true-or-false-homelessness-affects-v
ery-few-canadians/) Control + click to follow link to report.


 


This year, through a series of true and false questions, The Salvation Army
is releasing data to illustrate the public's perception on homelessness and
poverty. By releasing this data, our goal is to illustrate the realities,
and lay to rest some commonly-held misconceptions, about homelessness and
poverty. Ultimately, we hope this information will help the public
understand why extreme homelessness and poverty persist.

Report: Three Million Canadians Have Feared or Experienced Homelessness

Salvation Army study shows increase in demand for social services 

TORONTO, May 3 /CNW/ - A new report shows that approximately three million
people - one in nine Canadian adults - have either worried about or
personally experienced homelessness. This report, released by The Salvation
Army indicates that demand for social services are on the rise. At the same
time, the public perceives homelessness and poverty as two of the nation's
most critical social problems. The report is being released today to kickoff
The Salvation Army's National Red Shield Campaign, a month-long effort that
seeks to educate the public about the cycle of poverty in Canada and raise
funds to help combat the problem. 

"Our study found that the need to assist the poor and homeless is more
important now than ever before," said Commissioner William W. Francis,
Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda "The
public understands that there are numerous factors which lead to life on the
streets, and the public believes that more can be done for the poor and
homeless." 

The new report, "Poverty shouldn't be a life sentence: a report on the
perceptions of homelessness and poverty in Canada," surveyed a
representative sample of Canadians to understand where perceptions exist and
realities emerge on homelessness and poverty. The results indicate that the
public has a heightened awareness of poverty and homelessness, but still,
these two problems continue to grow. In 2009, The Salvation Army helped more
than one million people by providing food, clothing and other practical
assistance. Demand for these services increased by more than 25 percent in
one year. Locally, The Salvation Army has seen increases in shelter bed
occupancy and stay rates. 

"The increase shows us just how much the economic recession has exacerbated
long-existing problems in Canada," said Commissioner Francis. "The Salvation
Army is leading the fight against homelessness and poverty as Canada's
largest nongovernmental provider of social services." 

The public believes that homelessness and poverty are two of the most
pressing issues in Canada today. Nearly two-thirds of all respondents ranked
poverty, homelessness and related issues as the most pressing social
problems in Canada. 

The release of the homelessness and poverty report coincides with The
Salvation Army's National Red Shield Campaign, which runs through May 31st.
For more than 90 years, the campaign has raised funds to support Salvation
Army programs - aimed especially at the more than three million people
currently living in poverty in Canada today. To spread awareness, the Army
will run several public service announcements, spotlighting the issue of
poverty. The advertising campaign's message, that "Poverty shouldn't be a
life sentence," will run in-print, online and on-air throughout May. 

Money raised during the campaign directly supports those living in poverty
through Salvation Army social services like emergency shelter care,
substance abuse counselling and employment training. Each year, The
Salvation Army serves more than 1.5 million people in more than 400
communities across the country. 

This year's goal is to raise $2.75 million by May 31st. Financial
contributions can be made by visiting www.SalvationArmy.ca, by calling
1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769), by mailing donations to The Salvation Army, 2
Overlea Blvd., Toronto, ON M4H1P4 or by dropping off financial donations at
the closest Salvation Army facility in your area. 

Donors can also support the May Red Shield Campaign by texting HOME to 45678
from most wireless phones in Canada. A $5 donation will be added to your
monthly wireless phone bill. 

To view the "Poverty shouldn't be a life sentence" report and to find out
how you perceive the problems of homelessness and poverty in Canada, please
visit www.SalvationArmy.ca 

About The Red Shield Campaign: 

The National Red Shield Campaign is an annual fundraising and public
awareness campaign held annually throughout the month of May. The Salvation
Army utilizes online, phone, direct mail and door-to-door appeals to solicit
donations from generous Canadians. Giving to The Salvation Army offers an
opportunity to invest in the future of marginalized and overlooked people in
your community. 86 cents of every dollar raised by The Salvation Army goes
directly to support those in need. 

About The Salvation Army: 

The Salvation Army is an international Christian organization that began its
work in Canada in 1882 and has grown to become the largest non-governmental
direct provider of social services in the country. The Salvation Army gives
hope and support to vulnerable people today and everyday in 400 communities
across Canada and 120 countries around the world. The Salvation Army offers
practical assistance for children and families, often tending to the basic
necessities of life, providing shelter for homeless people and
rehabilitation for people who have lost control of their lives to an
addiction. When you give to The Salvation Army, you are investing in the
future of marginalized and overlooked people in your community. 

News releases, articles and updated information can be found at
www.SalvationArmy.ca 

For further information: Andrew Burditt, Territorial Public Relations
Director, The Salvation Army, (416) 845-8231,
andrew_burditt at can.salvationarmy.org


2 Media stories

 

One in nine Canadians has faced homelessness: Study

  

By Shannon Proudfoot, Canwest News Service May 3, 2010

http://www.canada.com/news/nine+Canadians+faced+homelessness+Study/2978718/s
tory.html

 

 

 <javascript:void(0);> A new study suggests one in nine Canadians has faced
homelessness in their lives.

  

A new study suggests one in nine Canadians has faced homelessness in their
lives.

Photograph by: Ward Perrin, Vancouver Sun

One in nine Canadians has been homeless or on the brink of homelessness, and
in some provinces that figure is as high as one in five, as the effects of
the recession linger.

Across the country, nearly three million people have landed on the street or
come close to it - 12 per cent of all Canadians - according to a report
expected to be released Monday by the Salvation Army.

"It certainly is sobering, it certainly is eye-opening," says Andrew
Burditt, public relations director for the Salvation Army in Canada.

"What scares me a little are how many people are out there that are
potentially one paycheque away from being on the street."

Regionally, Manitoba and Saskatchewan look most vulnerable, with 20 per cent
of people there surveyed saying they've been homeless or at risk, followed
by the Maritimes, at 17 per cent, and British Columbia, at 16 per cent.
Quebec seems to be less precarious, with just five per cent saying they've
been homeless or vulnerable.

Rates were higher among people ages 45 to 55 and, not surprisingly, among
those making less than $40,000 a year.

"People have the misconception sometimes that the homeless population are
people who are self-made in their position, but the majority of them are
those that have come though a disaster of some sort, whether it be marriage
(problems), job or economic times," says Perry Rowe, executive director of
the Salvation Army Ottawa Booth Centre.

"I've got guys who have been through the shelter who were professionals.
High-tech professionals have been through here, PhDs, highly educated folks
who through personal disaster ended up in a situation and ended up
homeless."

Demand for the Salvation Army's services jumped by 26 per cent across the
country from 2008 to 2009 - an unusually high year-over-year increase - and
Burditt says in some places, need grew by 50 per cent. The agency says it
served more than 2.8 million meals last year - 120,000 more than the
previous year - and helped 6,000 new clients with alcohol and drug
treatment.

People started requesting help with Christmas meals and gifts as early as
September, Burditt says.

The world is breathing a collective sigh of relief now that small signs of
growth are replacing the dark days of the recession, but Rowe says many of
the most vulnerable Canadians work in the service and tourism sectors that
are often last to recover from downturns.

"The economic recession that we're really still coming out of, I think it's
exacerbated problems that have existed for a long time," Burditt says.
"We've seen a lot of people come to use our services that have never used
them before, over the last 18 months. We've seen in a few cases that people
who used to contribute to the Salvation Army suddenly find themselves in a
position where they need to use our services."

Asked about the most important social problem in Canada, 16 per cent of
respondents chose poverty, behind only child abuse (18 per cent) and
unemployment (17 per cent), which the agency points out is closely linked to
poverty and homelessness.

The report was released to kick off the Salvation Army's May fundraising and
awareness campaign and is based on a public opinion survey conducted by the
Strategic Council late last year. With 1,000 Canadians ages 18 and over
surveyed, the results are considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points,
19 times out of 20.

C Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

 


Homelessness threatens 1 in 9: report


Last Updated: Monday, May 3, 2010 | 2:06 PM ET 

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/05/03/salvation-army-homelessness.html?r
ef=rss 

One in nine Canadians has been homeless or come close to it, a study
released by the Salvation Army suggests.

A homeless woman on a sidewalk collects spare change in a coffee cup in
downtown Vancouver in June 2007. A homeless woman on a sidewalk collects
spare change in a coffee cup in downtown Vancouver in June 2007. (Andy
Clark/Reuters) 

Levels were highest in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where 20 per cent of
respondents said they had experienced or come close to experiencing
homelessness, among those aged 45 to 55 years (16 per cent) and among those
with income levels under $40,000 a year (20 per cent), the report said.


P.O.V.: Canadian homelessness report:
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/pointofview/2010/05/canadian-homelessness-report-are
-you-living-paycheque-to-paycheque.html> Are you living paycheque to
paycheque?


Levels were lowest in Newfoundland and Quebec, at seven and five per cent,
respectively.

The Salvation Army surveyed 1,000 Canadians by phone in late 2009. The
results are considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage
points, 19 times out of 20.

Overall, "homelessness is either a real or near threat" for millions of
Canadians and getting worse concluded the report, titled Poverty Shouldn't
be a Life Sentence.

The Salvation Army said it saw demand for general social services spike by
more than 25 per cent during the economic downturn in 2009, and it helped
more than one million people with food, clothing and other assistance.

It cited a finding in Ottawa that shelter bed occupancy rates in the city
were up by more than nine per cent in 2009, and shelter-bed stays were 12
per cent longer than in 2008.

A Senate subcommittee report on cities released in December acknowledged
that homelessness is hard to measure. But it said witness after witness
reported increases in demand for shelters and food banks, even among people
with jobs.

The report's release Monday coincides with the start of the Salvation Army's
month-long national Red Shield fundraising campaign.

Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/05/03/salvation-army-homelessness.html?r
ef=rss#ixzz0mtkJyF3K

 

 

 

Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

147 Besserer St., 2nd Floor, Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7

Cell 613-513-6647

Office 613-241-7913, ext. 205

www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca <http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/> 

 

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