1.4 Reasons for Stigma

Media Portrayals

One of the main reasons is the portrayal of the media for the individuals who face homelessness. The news, sitcoms, and movies present individuals who face homelessness from the perspective of a drug addict or individuals with mental health issues, in some movies. The media portrays individuals who face homelessness in a stereotypical way. They portray them as lazy, mentally unstable, and substance-abusing. The media portrays them in this aspect because of the interests of the dominant financial and property-owning class. The media usually marginalizes them instead of addressing their issues. These have had an enormous influence in creating a negative image in the public. Reference (interview)

Unemployment and Housing

Financial issues are the primary reason which comes when we talk about homelessness; the main issue for the financial aspect is unemployment. Due to unemployment, they face housing issues and the stigma around the people who face homelessness. Discrimination is another factor which there is common against individuals who face homelessness. They are vicious and are judged according to their dress, making it a factor for an employer to deny them a job. The current housing issue has become unaffordable in Canada. The housing price increased by over 355 percent between 2000 and 2001 (Reference: interview)

Discrimination

Another reason is discrimination; there is a lot of discrimination in health, accommodation, and goods and services (NIMH et al., 2019). People discriminate against individuals who face homelessness because of the reason they are homeless; they consider it to be freedom to show bias against them and to judge them based on their perspective. They have been treated in society as uneducated and or not smart; some interviews with shelter support workers say that they have been dealing with a lot of individuals who face homelessness, but all of them are smart and educated. Some of them are trying to pursue courses in some colleges. They face discrimination from their families and society. Once they are found to be using any cigarettes or beer, society judges them as addicts and denies them support. This stigma influences their families, and they also go back to support them because of their fear of society.