The invention of homelessness

David Hulchanski, op-ed in Toronto Star, 18 September 2010

  

     As of late 2009, the English language contained one million words, and new words are being added every day. With such abundance in the language, we tend to forget how powerful words can be, and that the names we give to ideas can shape our world view. Consider a word that we take for granted, but that has far-reaching implications. The word is homelessness.

     A search of the New York Times historical database covering 1851 to 2005 reveals that the word “homelessness” was used in 4,755 articles, but 4,148 of them (87%) were published in the 20 years between 1985 and 2005. Before the 1980s, it is rare to find “homelessness” used to designate a social problem. What happened in

In homelessness, diversity does not mean complexity; Another ten chapters added to Finding Home eBook

by Philippa Campsie & David Hulchanski

 

When you hear the word “homelessness,” what comes to mind? If you are like most people, you probably think of the men who sleep on the hot-air grates in downtown Toronto. That is the image that so often accompanies media stories about homelessness.

     Several things about that image hide the reality of homelessness for many Canadians. The first part is the person’s gender and age. There are many homeless women and children too, although in their case it seldom takes the form of sleeping on the street. That is another problem with the image – it equates homelessness with