Homelessness In Canada Essay

Introduction

Homelessness is a concern that exists across many developed countries in the world. Here in Canada, the rate of homelessness is on the rise. In the 2013 Street Needs Assessment it was estimated that about 5,253 people were homeless in city of Toronto at the time of the survey (April 17, 2013). This is a 1.6% increase from 2009. Homelessness does not affect a particular social group, anyone can become homeless; male and female, young and old, Citizens and immigrants and refugees.
One of the principles of Canada’s national insurance program also known as Medicare that Canadians pride themselves in is universality. Universality means everyone is entitled to healthcare coverage and healthcare access in Canada. Basically, under …show more content…
A research study conducted in Toronto Canada of 1169 homeless participants however, found that nonfinancial barriers were persistent in keeping many from accessing care. The study found that 17% of the participants responded that they had unmet health care needs a proportion much higher than that of the general population. This was due to a number of nonfinancial barriers that the researchers identified, including the constant need to secure food and shelter, lack of transportation, and feelings of stigmatization (Hwang, Ueng, Chiu, Kiss, Tolomiczenko, Cowan, Levinson, & Redelmeier, 2010, p. 3). The lack of a permanent address also prevents people who are homeless from obtaining a health card, which often gets in the way of obtaining medical treatment and making appointments. As a result of barriers to accessing primary care and follow-up treatments, health care delivery to homeless individuals is largely concentrated in emergency departments (Power, 2 2008), which becomes a “last resort” for individuals that have unmet health care needs that progressively worsen and become life threatening due to the delay in accessing treatment. This is both ineffective in addressing the long-term

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