Responsibility for the homeless?

By MisTy

The overwhelming fear when you fall asleep, you are at your most vulnerable. The long dark, harrowing hours endured every night, a fight with your inner fears. The reality of your situation, the judgements, the abuse. The stigma attached to those who find themselves homeless. The pain and anguish associated with the people in this YouTube clip may have been two years ago, could easily be time-stamped present day, the stories remain similar if not worse. Life on the streets with the loss of family, the substandard housing called emergency accommodation. Families are living in overcrowded situations or poorly converted garages. Is this a solution for the homeless?

Post-pandemic prospect for homeless – Housing or streets?

by Hwi

My interest in the social issue of homelessness bloomed during my social work student placement. Through the placement, I discovered my past ignorant thoughts and actions toward the homeless community. It pushed me to see the complexity and diversity of homelessness and its close ties with housing.

From the Alert Level Four lockdown on 25 March, after weeks and weeks of isolation we have finally reached Level One with zero active cases. During the lockdown, we were advised to not to break our bubbles, and stay in our homes. But how could this be done for those without a home to stay in?

Homelessness: What is fact or fiction.

By Lottie 

When thinking of people who are homeless, what image and ideas come to your mind? Is it with no attempt of actually considering: what brought them to be in their current situation? Who are they really?  Why do we see differences, as a threat? What makes homeless people come across as dangerous? Why are they posing a threat to the moral order and public safety? Why is homelessness seen as a threat to society? Unfortunately, when it comes to the issue of homelessness, I have more questions than answers.

“An Invitation” Disintegrating the stigma of homelessness

By E.L Micah

Firstly, I would like to invite you on a journey with me today to trade in our former lenses and attempt to try out some new ones that look to acknowledge and explore the stigma of homelessness.

When you hear or read the word “homeless”, I am fairly certain most of us have an image, word or thought that comes to mind that is associated with a negative connotation. Often, they are linked to terms that present the notion of “othering” those that we deem as “homeless” in society. This manifests itself through the social constructs evident in our language, attitudes, and behaviors. Furthermore, this can stem from what we have been told from those around us, that grounds in us the same stigmatising labels and actions. These lenses often come without the root understanding of the world in which the “others” live and walk daily.

Social workers eager to end homelessness in New Zealand start with fighting stigmatisation

By an anonymous social work student 

Although many people would not admit their prejudices, there are a lot of individuals and groups who look down on people or communities facing poverty and homelessness. People who are not facing these social issues can be totally unaware of the stigma that is attached to this social problem, and unconsciously form opinions around why people are homeless or facing poverty. New Zealand has come a long way in supporting those who are in these situations, however, there is still a lot of work to be done to help homeless people get out of poverty and reshape how we relate to, understand, and treat them.