Street Life : Canada's Homeless Crisis February 2020

Summary: You see them on the streets, under bridges and in doorways, but mostly we turn a blind eye to Canada’s homeless population. It’s a growing problem, especially in larger cities, and it’s becoming a crisis that our welfare system can’t keep up with. Shelters are full and the homeless end up trying to salvage an existence on the street. But many of these troubled people were functioning members of society until something happened in their lives. Job loss, a lack of affordable housing, mental health issues, violence or abuse in the home are just some of the reasons people end up homeless. We talk to four men about the reasons they ended up homeless and what their life is like now. And we hear from one man who explains why urban Indigenous people make up a significant percentage of those experiencing homelessness.