Factors contributing to homelessness.

Abstract

This study is an analysis of thirty-one interviews held in 1952, with men who were residing at the Meurling Refuge, a municipal shelter in the city of Montreal. It is undertaken with a view to learn of the factors that might have some bearing on why these particular men have become dependent on an institution of this nature. In addition, the writer will survey other existing services available in Canada for the homeless and consider how these services meet the needs of these men. As described in this study, a "homeless man" will denote one who is not attached to a family group in the community in which he is residing, even though members of his family might be living in the same area. Seldom is he willing or able to sustain regular employment, with the result that he has either a marginal income or a complete lack of funds