Introduction

Let’s play a game.

How did you do? If indeed you found this game to be a little too easy, then you have demonstrated an understanding of the term ‘home’ and the subjective meanings we collectively attach to it in society. Home is thought to be a safe and secure internal place that protects us from the dangerous outside world. But is it?

For many Canadians, the home is not a place of refuge but rather a place fraught with conflict, stress, oppression, and/or insecurity. Home can be many things to people, some which are good and some which are not. The reasons that people leave or are pushed out of their homes are varied and complex. Despite a common stereotype that people choose homelessness, very rarely is this the case. Rather, people sometimes come to a point in their lives where homelessness is the only alternative they have. It is not a good one, but it may be the only one.