Diving right in, what is the definition of the prevention of homelessness?
Essentially, homeless prevention refers to the policies, practices, and interventions that reduce the likelihood of that someone will experience houselessness/homelessness. It also means providing those who have been houseless/homeless with necessary resources and supports to stabilize their housing and ultimately reduce the risk of the recurrence of homelessness/houselessness.
So, what are we really trying to prevent?
Structural Factors: This includes poverty, discrimination, lack of affordable housing, impact of colonialism on Indigenous Peoples.
System Failures: This would be the barriers to accessing public systems and failed transitions.
Individual and Relational Factors: personal circumstances, such as crises (like sudden unemployment or a house fire), mental health and addiction, housing insecurity, and interpersonal violence, can lead to homelessness.
Now, taking responsibility is the biggest thing here. In order for our houseless population to be successful, sectors have to come together and take responsibility. These sectors include the health justice, child protection, housing, and education systems which all play a part in the housing stability.
Homelessness prevention doesn’t only make sense financially; an affordable, safe, and adequate home is also a human right. For example, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) states that all signatory states must “recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing, and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions.” It's simply a human right. Rather than finding short-term solutions, it would be more logical to put funds towards the individuals for affordable and accessible housing.
SOURCE USED: HOMELESSHUB
Alisha Danielson
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