Congratulations to Carmen Rykaart on being awarded a SSHRC Graduate Scholarhsip – Masters’ 2024-25 for her research project ” Conceptualizing Indigenous Homelessness to Address Inadequate Homeless Policy Responses”.
“Much of the previous academic research on homelessness has emphasized the role of individual responsibility, but a recent focal shift toward considering the various historical and structural factors that contribute to homelessness provides the basis for my research interest.
One of the biggest barriers to creating effective policy is the difficulty of defining homelessness with all of its complexities. There is a notable distinction between the common Western understanding of homelessness a fundamental lack of stable shelter, and an Indigenous conception of homelessness, which encompasses the state of being without a “home,” not isolated to the purely physical but including cultural and spiritual elements in the context of displacement and colonization.
The absence of policy recognizing Indigenous conceptions of homelessness may contribute to the ineffectiveness of current programs that are meant to address Indigenous homelessness. The question that I aim to answer through my research is “How does the current understanding of Indigenous homelessness in government policy include and exclude Indigenous understandings of homelessness, and how does this influence the engagement and effectiveness of existing services and programs intended to assist them?” By addressing this gap, my research will inform policy decisions for homelessness reduction and prevention for Indigenous peoples experiencing “spiritual disconnection”, which Thistle defines as “[a]n Indigenous individual’s or community’s separation from Indigenous worldviews or connection to the Creator or equivalent deity” (2017).”