Introduction:
Homeless Canadian women have issues accessing feminine hygiene products. There are as many as 235,000 Canadians experiencing homelessness, with 27% being women.1 Menstruation is unavoidable, and lacking the resources to cope with the monthly issue leaves homeless women vulnerable to certain diseases and prone to infection by resorting to homemade pads/tampons. Furthermore, a gap in research pertaining to this issue exists with very limited knowledge beyond the barriers to access. To address this issue an anthropological lens must be applied to research for understanding why and what limits access in this population.
Nature and Magnitude of Problem:
Homeless women are already at risk for poorer health outcomes stemming from having
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2 Homeless women are left to choose between food, transit fare, or sanitary products, with the latter usually being replaced by self-made tampons/pads from tissue paper. The major issue which arises from having a lack of access to hygiene products is although shelters may supply tampons/pads, homeless women have stated that the amount is rarely enough and admit to leaving the tampon/pads in for more than the recommended 8 hours. This leaves them highly susceptible to contracting Toxic Shock Syndrome, a fatal infection, or yeast infections. Furthermore, homeless women would be unable to purchase antibiotics should an infection occur.
Current State of Knowledge:
Perceptions of being homeless also influence women’s’ decisions to access shelters or programs. Young women face the perception that they are unable to take care of themselves and to counteract this perception will resort to tough behaviors. 3 Tough behaviors include not backing down from confrontation or being dependent on shelters for resources3, in this instance, feminine hygiene products. For homeless women, developing tough behaviors gives them a sense of security and safety, but is a barrier to better health outcomes.3 Menstruation is unavoidable and costly, and homeless women
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Sexual health is essential, but focus must shift from a mainly safe sex and encompass menstruation. An anthropological lens would be best suited for further research as homeless culture and perceptions operate in tandem to determine whether homeless women will voluntarily access available resources. Moreover, menstruation is taboo to the public, so funding research to find how these views alter within the homeless culture and with the homeless culture is imperative. By understanding how menstruation within the homeless population is perceived; as either essential or a luxury, the government would realize how basic health needs become non-existent when other necessities are deemed superior, however this doesn’t mean the necessity for feminine hygiene products isn’t in demand. Furthermore, stigma against homeless women can influence whether they seek help or ask for hygiene products. Research must be done to discover the underlying factors which fuel this stigma so that they may be dispelled. By dispelling stigma, the perception of homeless women being helpless is removed, and aids in promoting access. However, more research must also be done to determine where access points should be placed or if a mobile unit is warranted. While stigma may disappear, homeless women still don’t always have the finances for transportation to shelters. Should mobile health units be the
Homelessness is a condition of people who lack regular access to adequate housing. As this condition becomes a growing problem in Canada people are forced to deal with the issues. Who are the homeless? They range from children to adults and even in some cases, families. Why are they homeless? Poverty, lack of jobs or well paying jobs, decline in Social Services, domestic violence, mental illness, and chemical dependency contribute to the majority of the homeless within our society. What effects does being homeless have on members of the family? It contributes to many physical and mental health problems for both parents and their children. Homelessness is a world-wide issue, yet zeroing in on Canada, the majority of the homeless live on the streets of Toronto and Vancouver where they seek shelter anywhere from a park bench to dark alleys. The fact remains that homelessness will always be a problem yet over the years, the number of homeless people has been on the rise and something must be done. Homelessness, specially in families, is a devastating experience. It disturbs nearly all aspects of family life, damaging the physical and emotional health of family members. In addition, it interferes with children's education and development and often results in the separation of family members. It is hard to say exactly who the homeless are because it is usually a temporary circumstance and not a permanent condition. -2- Therefore more appropriate manner of estimating homelessness is to look at the number of people who are currently experiencing homelessness rather than the number of "homeless people". WHO ARE THE HOMELESS Homeless people range anywhere from 11 to 65 years of age. Most studies show that homeless adults are most likely to ...
Although most people know what homelessness is and it occurs in most societies, it is important to define because the forces of displacement vary greatly, along with the arrangement and meaning of the resulting transient state. The Stewart B McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 defined a homeless person as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence or a person who resides in a shelter, welfare hotel, transitional program or place not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation, such as streets, cars, movie theaters, abandoned buildings, etc.” Resent surveys conducted in the U.S. have confirmed that the homeless population in America is extremely diverse and includes representatives from all segments of society, including: the old and young, men and women, single people and families, city dwellers and rural residents, whites and people of color, employed and unemployed, able workers and people with serious health problems. The diversity among people that are homeless reflects how difficult it is to generalize the causes of homelessness and the needs of homeless people. Robert Rosenheck M.D., the author of Special Populations of Homeless Americans, explains the importance of studying homelessness based on subgroups, “each subgroup [of homeless people] has unique service needs and identifying these needs is critical for program planning and design.” Despite these diversities, homelessness is a devastating situation for all that experience it. Not only have homeless people lost their dwelling, but they have also lost their safety, privacy, control, and domestic comfort.
Poverty is a significant threat to women’s equality. In Canada, more women live in poverty than men, and women’s experience of poverty can be harsher, and more prolonged. Women are often left to bear more burden of poverty, leading to ‘Feminization of poverty’. Through government policy women inequality has resulted in more women and children being left in poverty with no means of escaping. This paper will identify some key aspects of poverty for Canadian women. First, by identifying what poverty entails for Canadian women, and who is more likely to feel the brunt of it. Secondly the discussion of why women become more susceptible to poverty through government policy and programs. Followed by the effects that poverty on women plays in society. Lastly, how we can reduce these effects through social development and policy.
...ty for increasing the likelihood that women will become homeless. Female single parent families rose form 23.7 % of all families in poverty in 1960 to 52.6 % of all families in poverty in the mid 1990's. (Hagen, 1994). As a result of historical growth in women's poverty and female headed family homelessness, it has been increasingly important for research to focus on the unique sets of issues and problems that women's homelessness presents.
The main issue revolving homelessness is that people are not putting themselves into their perspective. Students who live in shelters and constantly worry about the possibility of eating that day go through a whole different kind of struggle compared to others. This kind of obstacle is not common to relate to. “She slept in libraries, bathrooms and her car. She sold plasma and skipped meals,” (2). Majority of students who enter college have the luxury of receiving secure shelter and food, in which they should. Ms. Evans is an example of
If you do not already know what homelessness means, it is someone who is not able to live in a stable residence because of financial or psychological problems, so they are forced to live on the streets or put themselves on the streets, because they feel it would be a better fit. Homelessness in Canada is a very large and concerning issue because of the growing population.
Homeless young adults have increased health concerns as a result of poor living conditions, malnutrition and reduced development and still rarely have access to health care services. This is not only due to their socioeconomic status but other factors such as the stigmatization surrounding homelessness and the fear of discriminatory attitudes and being judged by health care workers (Haldenby, Berman, & Forchuk, 2007). Other factors that limit access to health care services are transportation and the need to locate food and shelter. Furthermore, the longer a person is living on the streets increases their risk of losing their family physician, therefore, for health care services they rely on walk-in clinics and emergency rooms. As these alternatives are extremely expensive many people only seek medical help when it is the last possible
Many believe that a common thread among the homeless is a lack of permanent and stable housing. But beyond that, the factors leading to homelessness and the services that are needed are unique according to the individual. To put them into one general category ? the homeless- suggests that people are homeless for similar reasons and therefore a single solution is the answer. Every homeless person shares the basic needs of affordable housing, adequate incomes and attainable healthcare. But a wide range of other unmet needs cause some people to become or remain homeless which include drug treatment, employment training, transportation, childcare and mental health services (Center 8.)
Zlotnick, C., Zerger, S., & Wolfe, P. B. (2013). Health care for the homeless: What we have learned in the past 30 years and what's next. American Journal of Public Health, 103(2), 199-205.
With nearly 3.18 million people in the United States, there are 610.042 individuals who are homeless which calculates to about nearly one in five individuals (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 and HUD/US, 2013). At any time situations can change that can render an individual’s homeless. There are no qualities that exempt individuals from the chances of becoming homeless. However, there are certain predispositions and characteristics that can predict the likelihood of becoming homeless. Homelessness can be contributed to a number of situations such as occupational stress, financial stress, mental health issues, substance use, gender, age, race, disabilities, incarceration, chronic illness, and family stress.
There are many other cases of why the homeless are homeless like domestic violence, mental illness, addictions, and unaffordable health care. Homelessness is a problem which has been caused by many different aspects but mainly money because of massive unemployment rates. A hidden aspect to homelessness that we may not think of is ...
“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)
Homelessness has become a serious problem in today’s society. Despite the organizations that help multitudes of homeless people, homelessness is continually increasing. In recent years, America’s culture has been changing due to economic, political, and social issues. These issues have caused a lot of stress on America resulting in abject poverty in several cities. Poverty is not nationwide, but if dealt with lightly, the affects can be catastrophic. Homelessness is increasing more than ever, and research proves that changing culture contributes to rising amount of homelessness.
When females mature to puberty they embark on a process called menstruation, this does not conclude till one reaches menopause. After a woman becomes homeless, it does not cease the anxiety for being able to eat, drink, bathe, and clean clothes, but the apprehension for how to care for themselves when menstruating. Unfortunately, not everyone appears to realize this they hand out food or perhaps even a dollar here and there but never consider giving pads or tampons. Ignoring the problem of homeless women’s menstruation will not help them. Everyone must work together to furnish them with the resources they need, such as menstrual cups, donating pads or tampons, raising money, or even handing out “grab bags.”
Fitzpatrick, Joanne. “ONI Opening Doors Project—Improving Health for Homeless People and Families.” Community Practitioner 85.2 (2012): 19+. Academic OneFile. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.