Homelessness: What has been done to decrease the problem? One of the largest growing concerns in Toronto is the constantly increasing number of citizens who are finding themselves living on the streets.
With the decrease in the number of available jobs, the population of homeless people has literally boomed. My questions are not as simple to answer as they may appear. Why is a large portion of our community forced to live on the streets? What has been done to decrease the problem? These are the questions I will confront in my essay. With the economic wealth attributed to the name Canada,” one would have to wonder why there is a homeless situation at all. This problem is especially evident in Canada’s wealthiest city, Toronto. When it comes to the affairs of the people, it is the government who should intervene.
When I look at what the government has done regarding the homeless problem, I have to doubt that everything is being done to eradicate it. The United Nations implemented a universal declaration of human rights. Article 25, Section 1 of this declaration states: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing, medical care, and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” This is a step in the right direction.
However, this is not enough. These rights are subject to the discretion of the government of the country that decides to obey these universal rights. How much is adequate”? The government, both at the federal and municipal levels, is currently working on new spending cuts. These cuts also include spending on welfare, unemployment, and social services geared towards helping the homeless.
Spending cuts can be seen as a necessity to maintain the country’s economy, but the reason for having a government in the first place is to take care of the people. How can this be done when money is being taken away from necessary services? Simply put, it cannot. Nonprofit organizations depend on government grants to maintain a standard of care for those who need the services. The blame cannot be placed solely on the government. The system of assistance depends on its beneficiaries to be honest and have integrity.
Many recipients of these services attempt to cheat the system” by not searching for work and instead remaining at home to collect their weekly cheques. This behavior forces the government to create additional services to control the distribution of funds, which is costly and unnecessary if all recipients were honest. To decrease the homeless population, the government can explore economical ways to research and develop solutions. While there is no quick or easy answer to this difficult problem, Toronto has the resources to attempt to find solutions.
Here in Ontario, we have many excellent universities and colleges with equally excellent students who are taking courses in political science. If the government were to cooperate with these universities and colleges and have them work in conjunction with the current research groups, then the answer to decreasing the homeless population would be effectively answered. The government would encounter little expense and at the same time give the students a chance to implement what they are learning into real-life situations. Everyone benefits from this idea, and there are no losers. In conclusion, I think that our homeless problem could eventually be rooted out entirely if everyone were to take part in the care of their fellow neighbour. If we were to stop being self-centered and start thinking about the other person who has less than us, I am sure that we would benefit from it.
It isn’t all that hard. A few advertisements on television and radio.
