Dignity and Ethics

Current statistics from point in time counts across the country show that as many as 35,000 people are staying in emergency shelters on any given night in Canada. Single men are most commonly represented in homelessness shelters while women are represented in shelters for domestic abuse. Domestic abuse remains as the main path to homelessness for women and children. Children, aged 0-14 represented for almost 14% of those in shelter and youth represented 20%. Across the board, Indigenous people are over-represented in shelter use and amongst those experiencing homelessness. These figures do not represent the number of people who are staying in dangerous situations, couch surfing and who remain hidden from the data counts.

Homeless doesn’t happen in isolation and this information isn’t new or profound. There are positive links between homelessness, mental health, substance use, trauma and the experience of violence. Women who experience violence are up to 40% more likely to receive a diagnosis of mental illness after the violence has occurred. Most people who stay in shelters have income levels that fall below the indicators of poverty. People who enter shelters are more likely to re-enter shelter in the future. People who experience homelessness are more likely to experience chronic health problems that lead to death. We call these deaths suicide, overdose and poor lifestyle choices rather than death by poverty, homelessness and discrimination.

As practitioners, peers and advocates working within the intersections of vulnerability (homelessness, poverty, trauma, violence, mental health and substance use) we have to reflect on the concept of dignity and constantly examine the ethics of our practices and decisions in order to ensure that we acting in ways that promote social justice and do not replicate structures that oppress and harm the very people that we say we support.

Doing dignity means that we acknowledge and use our power and privilege in an ethical way. We recognize resistance to violence and oppression, we respond to people at the intersections of vulnerability where they meet us. We build on people’s resilience and we stop reinforcing the language of shame and blame that serves to pathologize people rather than the system that is damaged.

These are the foundations of dignity and ethics in practice.