Being homeless never a choice anyone makes

It is a lack of other options, Louise Gallagher writes.

Louise Gallagher is director of communications and stakeholder relations at Inn From the Cold, Alberta’s only street-level family emergency shelter. I have worked in the homeless-serving sector for more than 12 years and have yet to meet anyone who says, “I chose homelessness.” Or a parent who says, “I want homelessness for my children. It will be good for them.”

Homelessness is not a choice. And it’s definitely not good for children.

Families end up homeless for very complex reasons. There are big system reasons, like lack of income supports or access to mental health care, or local issues such as a limited supply of affordable housing.

When these are coupled with limited personal resilience, homelessness can become all too real.

For some families, hard times mean they rely on friends and family, and then the welcome wears out. Job loss. Illness. Death. Divorce. Family violence. All these can impact resiliency and lead a family to an emergency shelter door.

Some move from a reserve to the city hoping for a better life for their children, but lack education and resources to build a solid foundation. They are left with little choice. Go back to a First Nation reserve with inadequate housing and skyrocketing suicide rates among youth, or, stay in the city where, along with racism, high rents and landlords unwilling to rent to “those people,” they are locked out before they even knock on the door.

For many newcomer families, getting to the poverty line where one in 10 Calgarians already exist isn’t even a choice. Inadequate long-term supports, language barriers and cultural expectations keep them struggling far below the line.

Homelessness is definitely not a choice for the 27-plus families who find support at Inn From the Cold’s Family Emergency Shelter every night. It is a lifesaver.

For most of us, living in Calgary is a great choice. A recent report by the City of Calgary shows that we have one of the highest rates of home ownership in the country — 71 per cent, compared to 59 per cent in other cities. We also boast the highest median household income, $97,334, compared to $75,418 elsewhere.

Unfortunately, for lower-income families, the picture is not so bright. While only four per cent of households with incomes over $80,000 are overspending on shelter, 60 per cent of households with incomes below $60,000 are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.

Their overspending is not a choice. It is the outcome of income inequality and limited access to appropriate housing that leaves them with little means to improve their financial well-being.

Homelessness is not a choice. It is a lack of other choices. Every day, we make choices that impact child and family homelessness in our city. They are choices designed to increase wealth and the standard of living for many, but they can also create an environment where poverty and homelessness flourish.

We tear down existing affordable housing without replacing it with reasonable options for those being displaced. We build suburbs with limited access to transit and services, and then protest when affordable housing is built in communities where there is good access to transportation that will allow them to get to school, jobs and the services needed to move beyond poverty and homelessness.

Those living in poverty do not experience the privileges you and I do. They have limited choices on where to go to school, to live or work, because lack of income and education holds them back, and lack of access to affordable housing, transportation, job training and affordable daycare keeps them trapped.

We can end child and family homelessness. But rather than expect those with few resources to make the changes they can’t afford to make, let’s change how we view homelessness. Let’s stop calling it a choice and start calling it what it is: a social crisis destroying the lives of children.

To end it, let’s make better choices that create pathways for those struggling to find their way out of poverty. Because no matter where you live, no one chooses homelessness, especially the children.

Those living in poverty do not experience the privileges you and I do.