Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-r6qrq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-29T17:24:53.069Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social exclusion and self-esteem: The impact of the identity – bureaucracy nexus on employed people experiencing homelessness in Calgary, Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2020

Marion E. Jones ,
Micheal L. Shier  and
John R. Graham
Marion E. Jones*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, University of Regina, Regina, Canada
Micheal L. Shier
Affiliation:
School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
John R. Graham
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
*
*Corresponding author. Email: marion.jones@uregina.ca
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article argues that homelessness in Calgary, Canada is entrenched, in part, due to a systemic cycle of exclusion and defensive tactics carried out by those who are homeless and employed. A major proportion of this systemic exclusion occurs via a number of societal institutions: the provincial welfare structure in place to assist those in need; the provincial registry system for identification and licensing; the banking system, employment service providers; and the civil society organizations that provide shelter. Through one-to-one interviews with employed people experiencing homelessness in Calgary (n = 61) we found four identifiers that contribute to maintaining the adverse situation facing those who find themselves homeless: security of, and access to, replacement identification; access to banking; access to a mailing address; and accessibility to stable, permanent employment. Without access to these elements re-establishing social inclusion and navigating the transition to stable housing and non-vulnerable employment is far more difficult.

Keywords

employed homelesssystemic exclusionbureaucratic structural rigiditiesidentificationsecurity of identificationbanking
Type
Research Notes
Information
Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , June 2013 , pp. 134 - 142
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 Taylor & Francis

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Benda, B. B. (2006). Survival analyses of social support and trauma among homeless male and female veterans who abuse substances. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(1), 70–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Calsyn, R. J., & Roades, L. A. (1994). Predictors of past and current homelessness. Journal of Community Psychology, 22(3), 272–278.3.0.CO;2-X>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fertig, A. R., & Reingold, D. A. (2008). Homelessness among at-risk families with children in twenty American cities. Social Service Review, 82(3), 458–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fetterman, D. M. (2008). Ethnography. In Given, L. M. (Ed.), The Sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods (pp. 288–292). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Fitzpatrick, S., Kemp, P., & Klinker, S. (2000). Single homelessness: An overview of research in Britain. Bristol, UK: The Policy Press.Google Scholar
Goetz, J. P., & LeCompte, M. P. (1984). Ethnography and qualitative design in educational research. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Holstein, J.A., & Gubrium, J.F. (1995). The active interview. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laird, G. (2007). Shelter: Homelessness in a growth economy – Canada's 21st century paradox. Calgary: Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership.Google Scholar
Shier, M. L., Jones, M. E., & Graham, J. R. (2010a). Perspectives of self and situation of employed people experiencing homelessness: Challenging socially constructed perceptions and stereotypes. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 37(4), 13–37.Google Scholar
Shier, M. L., Jones, M. E., & Graham, J. R. (2010b). Turnaround points: The role of help seeking and service delivery for employed people experiencing homelessness in Calgary, Canada. Social Development Issues, 32(3), 50–64.Google Scholar
Stroick, S. M., Hubac, L., & Richter-Salomons, S. (2008). Biennial count of homeless persons in Calgary: 2008 May 1. Calgary: The City of Calgary, Community and Neighborhood Services, Social Research Unit.Google Scholar
Williams, J. P. (2008). Emergent themes. In Given, L. M. (Ed.), The Sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods (pp. 248–249). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar