Social infrastructure: a way to see hidden homelessness in rural and Northern Ontario towns

Nadia L Dowhaniuk

doi:10.32920/19067540.v1

Abstract

<div>What is social infrastructure? How is it defined, if at all? This paper importantly brings together cross-disciplinary discussions that are often about social infrastructure. Examining social infrastructure in rural and northern Ontario to draw connections between reports of hidden homelessness, discussions about or in reference to social infrastructure, and the realities faced by rural and northern Ontario municipalities and communities. Using a review and analysis of these different streams of research, social infrastructure spaces are mapped according to different definitions or understandings in the disciplines. This mapping exercise is applied to Sault Ste. Marie to illustrate the complexities of addressing social issues as they unfold in small northern Ontario communities. The research suggests that a broader understanding of what social infrastructure is can help us to see spaces that are often overlooked and</div><div>underappreciated by planners, but perhaps valued by individuals experiencing hidden homelessness for the sociality and comforts that they can provide. This suggests that in addressing homelessness, poverty, and economic revival, planners in rural, small, and northern communities ought to think critically about the ways in which planning policies, programs and strategies might overlook spaces use by those most marginalized.</div><div><br></div><div>Key words: social infrastructure, hidden homelessness, rural and northern Ontario, Sault Ste.</div>

Highlights

The term “hidden homelessness” is used to describe a range of experiences which includes but is not limited to staying with family or friends, sleeping in cars, couch surfing, living in crowded accommodations, or living in unsafe environments. These experiences are difficult to measure because individuals often relying on informal social networks and spaces for shelter rather than standardized homeless shelters In this paper, I suggest that looking through the lens of social infrastructure can be used as a method of inquiry to better understand experiences of hidden homelessness, in rural and northern Ontario communities
This federally imposed counting method misses individuals who do not access supports or services available to homeless populations because they do not qualify for these services (Shapcott, 2010), or because they do not perceive themselves as homeless and do not access these services (Kauppi et al, 2017), or because social services and supports are unavailable in communities where individuals who might qualify as ‘homeless’ exist (Waegmakers Schiff et al, 2015). For those that do access services and supports when and where they are available, interviews with service providers in rural and northern Ontario communities through studies by Kauppi, Pallard and Faries (2015), Kauppi and Pallard (2015), and Shaikh and Rawal (2019)indicate there are difficulties with providing services to those who are mobile or hidden because there are difficulties in determining an individual’s eligibility for services, needs are often required on short notice, which places strain on support systems that are already stretched, and there is a lack of or gaps in resources that are explicitly designed for individuals who are mobile or experiencing hidden homelessness
This paper demonstrates how social infrastructure might be used to see or understand the experiences of hidden homelessness within the context of rural and northern Ontario hub communities

Summary

Introduction

Images of ‘what homelessness looks like’ are often conceptualized based on scenes people encounter everyday - individuals sleeping in streets, alleyways, or bus shelters, others asking for or being given money (Dean, 2015) These experiences are unfortunate and visible realities prevalent in spaces where physical and social resources cluster. The term “hidden homelessness” is used to describe a range of experiences which includes but is not limited to staying with family or friends, sleeping in cars, couch surfing, living in crowded accommodations, or living in unsafe environments These experiences are difficult to measure because individuals often relying on informal social networks and spaces for shelter rather than standardized homeless shelters In this paper, I suggest that looking through the lens of social infrastructure can be used as a method of inquiry to better understand experiences of hidden homelessness, in rural and northern Ontario communities

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Conclusion