We need to continue using cash as a form of payment in order to include low-income folks in our society

As we go about our lives, you may have noticed that we are going increasingly paperless. Whether it’s spending money on your morning coffee, buying groceries or making a purchase online, many people opt for their debit or credit card as opposed to cash. In the world of Apple and Google Pay, it’s as easy as pressing a few buttons on your phone and holding it over the card machine.

However, going cashless isn’t easy for everyone as it excludes a large number of low-income folks and especially, houseless people.

To own a debit or credit card, you need to own a bank account. To do this, though, many Canadian banks, if not all, ask you for an address. It’s clear how this can be an issue for houseless folks or people who do not have stable housing — what address are they supposed to put?

In light of the Defund HPS protest that occurred this past November, it’s evident that lack of permanent housing is an issue that hits close to home. Additionally, banks often require you to deposit up to $100 in order to start a bank account, which can be a huge cost for some.

However, going cashless isn’t easy for everyone as it excludes a large number of low-income folks and especially, houseless people.

So although it may be convenient for many people to use their cards, not everyone is able to have a debit or credit card. Then, this leaves us with the problem of a society that is growing increasingly cashless: what do low-income folks do when they are unable to pay for groceries and other necessities because they do not have access to an electronic payment method?

Although many places still accept cash payments, there are many notable changes that have occurred that suggest that one day, we may no longer be able to use cash as a form of payment.

Even bus fares have become electronic. The Hamilton Street Railway stopped selling paper tickets and passes and all paper tickets expired by the end of 2020 in order to promote the use of Presto. While the HSR still accepts cash fares, they are $0.75 more expensive than a one-time Presto fare and your fare must be exact as no change will be provided.

Although you can refill a Presto card using cash, you can face issues loading your card. In addition, a Presto card costs $6, which is an additional financial barrier.

During the pandemic, the desire to rely on our debit and credit cards is even higher, as many people do not want to risk catching COVID by handling cash. Some stores even refuse to accept cash as a precaution. Even if you are able to use cash, many stores prefer electronic payment methods.

Even though I understand why this precaution is in place, the Centers for Disease Control and Contamination have highlighted that it is unlikely that COVID spreads often from touching surfaces, such as money. Thus, it should be safe to accept money, especially if that is the only form of payment someone has. If you want to take extra precautions, you can sanitize the money to make sure that you minimize the risk of COVID.

Even though I understand why this precaution is in place, the Centers for Disease Control and Contamination have highlighted that it is unlikely that COVID spreads often from touching surfaces, such as money.

Despite our movement towards a cashless society and despite the pandemic, we should still be accepting cash. Low-income folks already have so many barriers they have to face. At the very least, they shouldn’t have to worry about whether a store will accept their money.

It’s caring about more than just convenience. It’s caring about low-income folks and houseless folks that have no other option to pay with but cash.

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By: Imran Dhalla and Rachel Connell, 5 Day participants

Homelessness: it is not an uncommon phrase or an unrealistic life, as one in five youth in Ontario identify with this phrase. How about hopelessness? I’m sure you can relate to that one. Somebody you know has been homeless at some point in their life, and someone you know feels hopeless every day as they struggle to find food, a safe space to sleep, and sit lost in a town full of people passing by.

The DeGroote School of Business’ “5 Days For The Homeless” is taking on one of the biggest struggles faced by our community as well as communities all around the world. This initiative is working to make a small but crucial difference by advocating the voices of those who feel hopeless and without a safe space to turn.

Recently criticized for giving a false idea of what street homelessness looks like, it should be noted that the “5 Days For The Homeless” campaign hosts sleepers who are not pretending to be homeless in any attempt to force sympathy from passers-by. The world doesn’t need to give their sympathy, we’ve all passed by and sympathized with these issues for years now. The world needs action, and that’s what we’ve sparked here at McMaster. One in 11 Canadians have been homeless in their lifetime, and these middle class campaign sleepers are pledging much more than “poverty porn.” You’re most definitely not donating your dollars or chicken noodle soup cans to suit their needs, but on the contrary, “5 Days for the Homeless” has been working directly with The Good Shepherd house in Hamilton. The Good Shepherd house is a centre dedicated to helping distressed youth in Hamilton. The space is not just for the homeless, and not just troubled youth, but it also addresses physical and mental health concerns and needs.

In the past few years, the “5 Days for the Homeless” has worked with the Good Shepherd house to help distressed youths in a number of ways. This includes: helping replace beds and mattresses, supporting to their homework program, and giving financial assistance to the 716 admissions they’ve seen this year alone. 260 of those were able to remain in the youth shelter, and 301 through Ontario Work were able to pay rent, afford meals and do their laundry independently.

It might seem like a nuisance or a contradiction for some to see middle class students sleep outside the Student Centre collecting money and other items for their campaign, but the reality is, they aren’t the focus. The focus of the campaign is not to glamorize the lifestyle, or suggest that we could ever have a clue what these people face in their day to days, but the focus will always remain embedded in the desire to help the youth in our own backyards who remain on the streets. To act out on the terrible hardships they’ve been handed, and to do something with the resources we have on campus to better our community.

The world doesn’t need to give their sympathy, we’ve all passed by and sympathized with these issues for years now. The world needs action, and that’s what we’ve sparked here at McMaster. 

It is vital for these impressionable kids to tangibly see that we care and give them hope that what we’re doing has more value in society than an acting skit or sympathy scheme. The money 5 Days raises annually, and the advocacy this club brings are proof of a program that works. The sleepers not only pledge to commit a huge chunk of their time towards participating, but proudly stand alongside these youth with the opportunity to become mentors, provide in-house assistance, and create friendships that continue to have positive impacts long after the time of the campaign.

Is it a false idea of what homelessness is? Or is it false to assume that good people bringing good change must have some sort of loophole? It is justified to be skeptical about any campaign that claims to make a difference, but we can’t expect to change anything if we believe the change is too big for us. 5 Days for the Homeless tries and succeeds with a strong impact on the community and city.

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By: Sophie Geffros

Someone you know has been homeless.

This can be hard concept to wrap your head around — if you’re lucky, homelessness is something that happens to other people, and we can only conceive of homelessness as what housing advocates call “street homelessness.” According to a 2013 report by the Wellesley Institute, for every individual identified as street homeless, another four are part of what advocates call the “hidden homeless” population.

Think of your high school friend who surfed couches when his parents kicked him out after discovering he was gay. Think of the sibling that struggles with addiction and is in and out of halfway houses. Think of the friend who confessed tearfully that she and her mother spent the summer in a women’s shelter after leaving a violent spouse. The majority of the homeless population is intermittently homeless, and therefore hidden. Even if you don’t know anyone like I just described, I promise you that statistically speaking you have worked with, or attended classes with, or been friends with someone who has been homeless. It’s not the kind of thing you talk about, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t present.

The Degroote School of Business’ “5 Days for the Homeless” both ignores these populations and gives a false idea of what street homelessness looks like. 20 percent of the street homeless population are youth 16-24, of whom at least 40 percent are LGBT and about 60 percent are Aboriginal. When surveyed by Covenant House, they identified the greatest risk to their lives to be physical and sexual assault while sleeping rough or in shelters. Spending five nights sleeping outside the Student Centre gives a false idea of what homelessness is, and is far safer than the conditions street homeless youth actually experience.

It is good to raise money for charity. Nobody is denying that. But donating food to middle class students so they can pretend at homelessness borders on self-parody. If you have a genuine desire to alleviate suffering in the Hamilton community, donate your time or money directly to the Good Shepherd, or the Hamilton Dream Centre, or the Hamilton Community Core, or any of the dozens of other neighborhood food banks and housing programs that assist the vulnerable in our community. The campus OPIRG runs an excellent program called “Food Not Bombs,” and you can begin the process of helping them out without even leaving campus.

Programs like 5 Days for the Homeless appeal to us because they sanitize housing insecurity. They make us feel good about ourselves for caring, without having to be confronted with the unpleasant realities of homelessness. Advocates for the campaign will say that it raises awareness of street homelessness, but raising awareness for street homelessness is absurd. If you are honestly unaware that people are sleeping on the streets in our city, you are willfully ignoring the men and women sleeping rough by every downtown bus stop.

Spending five nights sleeping outside the Student Centre gives a false idea of what homelessness is.

I want to ask you a question: do you look at street homeless people when you see them on the sidewalk? How many of you are willing to donate your food and converse with the students aping at homelessness outside of MUSC, but ignore the man at the bus stop asking for change? How often do you justify not helping when you are confronted with the need by saying “well, they’re just going to spend it on drugs anyway?” How often do you willfully look away when you are confronted with suffering? Too many of us fail to recognize the humanity and dignity of others when confronted with their pain. We can all strive to be better at this. Pretending to understand a struggle that is not ours so that we can write heart-warming Facebook posts about what we’ve learned is not the way to go about it. The unkempt street homeless man who asks you for a dollar is just as human as the commerce student sleeping outside the student centre.

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While grocery shopping at Nations, a lactose intolerant friend of mine bought some cheese buns in the bakery section. Their odd behavior was explained when they gave the buns to a homeless person we’d seen outside of Jackson Square. This is an article about why it was wrong to buy that food.

Firstly, a disclaimer: I am not against giving to the homeless, nor am I against charity. I think we need more compassion in this world, not less, and generosity for strangers is a quality that should be fostered at every opportunity. However, some charity is better than others.

The philosopher Maimonides developed a hierarchy of giving, taking into account factors such as the willingness of the donor and the extent of their generosity. In his opinion, one of the most important factors is anonymity, with the more anonymous a transaction the better. This is not because Maimonides was an introvert, or because he thought that donors and recipients should not interact with one another (his highest form of charity is partnership), but instead the goal of charity ought to be the preservation of self-worth.

So where does buying bread for a homeless stranger belong on this list? Frankly, pretty low down. While Maimonides would award points for giving without being asked, the donor has not taken steps to preserve the recipient’s dignity. When you hand someone food that you bought specifically for the purpose of charity, you stumble across a problem: you infantilize them by implicitly saying that you do not trust them to spend money on things you approve of. Furthermore, often the things we choose to give are not the things that are actually needed. Cheap food, deodorant or a bar of soap can all be easily purchased at the dollar store, but money for prescription medication or a night at the YMCA are not things easily donated.

You may be worried that your money will be spent on alcohol, drugs or cigarettes, but if you want to help, you ought to give regardless. To do any less is to not acknowledge that homeless person as a human being with the autonomy to make their own financial decisions. If you are trying to judge whether someone is worthy of your charity, you should reconsider your definition of piety.

In addition, be wary of painting the homeless with one brush; living on the street is not necessarily due to addiction or alcoholism. The homeless community is more diverse than you can know. It includes women and children fleeing abuse, LGBT+ youth abandoned by their family and those who recently experienced cataclysmic life events. However, someone’s worth is not determined by their past choices, and you are not entitled to someone’s story simply because you gave them something. That’s not charity, that’s extortion.

In giving what you think is needed, as opposed to what an individual actually wants, you completely ignore the fact that the recipient of your donation is a human being with preferences, who may even be lactose intolerant themselves. We tend to lose sight of the fact that preferences and dislikes are a part of being human, and if you are going to give, it should be in a way that preserves humanity and dignity as best as you possibly can. Giving someone the autonomy to choose what they prefer is an important part of that. You want to make someone’s life better? Give them the financial power to decide what is most helpful for their unique situation instead of assuming you know best.

At this point you may be worried that if you open your pockets, someone will scam you. Maybe you’ve heard of a case of a beggar millionaire, someone so good at panhandling that they drive off in a Lexus at the end of the evening. I’m here to tell you that that is incredibly unlikely. If panhandling were that lucrative, everyone would be doing it. Instead of assuming the worst, show compassion to those around you that you can recognize may need help, treat them like human beings, not wayward children, and give money, not cheese buns.

Photo Credit: Chiot's Run Flickr Commons

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We’re no strangers to fundraisers.

They’ve been with us since grade school and seem to follow us everywhere. Everything needs money, it seems.

Of course it does. People need resources and sometimes our social programs fail us. Sometimes it’s not our social programs: it’s a country on another continent, a school that needs rebuilding, a non-profit that needs help with its efforts to help.

The fundraiser I remember most vividly is one that happened in the ninth grade. I remember my homeroom teacher asking everyone to donate some money or food items for the local food bank. The class was small, we all knew who had donated and who hadn’t. There was pressure that came with “being a good person”. I didn’t like it. I donated anyway. Of course I did. I was a good person, after all.

The whole thing, I thought, was pretty ironic. Many of the families at our high school were poor. The local food bank needed food because so many in our community needed food. Yet, the fundraiser was happening at our school, three blocks away from the food bank, and people who needed their food the most were being asked to donate, and unintentionally being pressured into donating. Was this really useful? Was it productive?

Not all campaigns are this futile in nature, or so unfortunately mistaken in their approach. Yet, it is important to remain critical of the fundraisers that we see around McMaster on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Due to the large student population, being pressured into donating isn’t a problem we face. However, we are constantly being asked to give money to causes.

Last week, the annual 5 Days for The Homeless (#5D4H) campaign took place outside of MUSC. The location was perfect, and the amount of money they raised wasn’t so bad either. The campaign started back in 2005 as a local initiative by the University of Alberta School of Business and went national in 2008. It has taking place at McMaster since. A group of Commerce students, members of DeGroote Impact, sleep outside the student centre regardless of the weather (unless it poses a health concern). They can also only consume foods that are donated to them by other people.
For the last few years, the campaign has been praised and criticized, yet it appears as though only the former has landed on the ears of the organizers. There are reasons to praise it. It does make money – money that the shelter (Notre Dame House) and those who use it really need and appreciate.

There are also reasons to criticize it. The first can be found in the campaign’s name. Is “The Homeless” really an appropriate way of referring to people who have faced the challenge of homelessness in their lives? The second is the public simulation of homelessness that takes place right outside our student centre. The participants can never fully understand what it means to be homeless, nor am I saying that they claim they can.

The participants record their reflections and the campaign on the 5 Days online blog. Last Monday, one of them wrote, “I am now reliant on other people and institutions to take basic care of myself and it’s hard to feel like I [can] be independent.”

The fact is that this sentence isn’t true. The participant does still have complete independence if she decided to stop following the rules, yet decided to word things in such a way that implied that she really understood how this feels. And she might, but posting the claim that you can understand how something like being dependent on others and government institutions feels in a matter of one day is harmful.

It is this sort of message being communicated by the participants that’s raising so much criticism from so many people. Although they seem to have grasped the privilege that they hold to some extent, the campaign is failing to raise awareness in an impactful way, or to help educate the McMaster community on the issues they’re spending five days for outside in the cold.

I know the participants have good intentions, and they are probably good people who really do care. No one is saying otherwise. This campaign has garnered so much attention over the years and seeing a great opportunity for raising awareness properly and educating people being wasted is unfortunate.

The money raised from this campaign is really a band-aid solution. If the campaign isn’t pushing for systemic change, educating people, and doing something more than sleeping outside of MUSC to raise money, then I don’t believe that it is living up to its true potential. The goal of the campaign, as with all campaigns that tackle social issues, should be to help create a society where the campaign is no longer needed.

No campaign will ever be perfect and no participant of this campaign will ever be an expert on homelessness. Instead of being defensive and shaming those who criticize this campaign, the participants and their supporters should take the time to think about why the campaign is being criticized. In the discussions I’ve read and participated in about this campaign, it seems that there is a general consensus that there are definitely things to improve on.

The campaign and its participants might have good – even great – intentions, yet this doesn’t act as a shield against criticisms. Good intentions don’t always translate into good actions, and holding on to the belief that the intentions are the be-all end-all of implementing change can be harmful.

When serving others, when doing something with the intention of making someone else’s life easier, it’s not your ego that matters. It’s time the campaign acknowledges the criticisms and invites its critics to have an open discussion about its approach.

Tobi Abdul
The Silhouette

Dear homeless people,

I see you. In a world where you are invisible, please know that I see you. I understand that you are another person, trying to survive another day, just as we all are. You may not own much, but you have hope. You have hope that people will give you their spare change out of pure generosity. You still believe in the goodness of humanity, and in people, which is more than I can say for most of us. The rest of us walk with our heads down, rushing from one place to another, trying to block out all the bad in the world, while forgetting that as we do, we also block out the good.

You sit on the sidewalk, head high, cup outstretched, becoming all the more hopeful with each coin that drops into your cup. With each cent, you are reassured that there are good people in the world.  I may walk past you in a hurry, but I think about you as I do. I think about you as I put money into the transit box instead of walking, I think about you as I scramble for change for an overpriced coffee and I think about you as I get into bed at night wishing my bed was more comfortable.

People may scoff and think that they are better than you but they are wrong, because you are among the wisest of people. I do not even know you, and yet, you have taught me life’s most valuable lessons. Because of you, I have learned to appreciate what I have, and give when I can to those who have less. Because of you, I have realized that there is more to life than money and clothes. I may be more educated, but you are more knowledgeable.

You are stronger than me, because you must rely on the rest of the world in order to meet life’s most basic needs. We are overwhelmed by the bad in the world, overloaded with statistics and biases and devastation. You are liberated in your ignorance, and empowered by your hopefulness. I lie, and tell you that I have no change, and you give me a grin and tell me to have a nice day. The grin that breaks my heart. I am no better than you because I have a home, I am no better than you because I possess more. It seems at times that you are better than me, because you are resilient, brave and despite seeming broken, you smile.

I give when I have, and when I am changeless I will still give. I will give you a smile, to let you know that I care, I will give you half of my sandwich so you will not go hungry, I will give you well wishes, that you may survive another day, and most importantly, I will give you my utmost respect, for doing what most of us could not. I think this is what is most forgotten when we look at you, we forget that you are among the bravest of men.

You wish people a good day, when they have done nothing to help yours and you stand strong, despite being told that you are less because you have less. I want you to know that I see you. I see the strength in you, and I only wish one day, I too will be able to have the same strength that you do. Thank you for these life lessons and thank you for showing me that the most humbling view is the one from the sidewalk.

 

By: Zara Lewis

 

It seems to be that on every block you turn there is one homeless person after the next, each waiting to be given that extra dollar from passersby. And at night, store entrances turn into a place to sleep for the homeless.

In 2007 the figure of homelessness in Canada stood between 200,000 to 300,000 people, with a further 1.7 million residents struggling to afford their homes.

According to a report carried out in January 2012 by Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre, statistics have shown that Hamilton has one of the highest poverty rates amongst the cities in Ontario with 23 per cent of the population, translating to more than two in five people living in poverty.

Recently the Ontario government has revealed that they will be modifying the funding designated to social services. These changes will result in less money being given to programs set up around Hamilton that aim to tackle the issue of homelessness.

The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction is one organization which aims to address the unacceptable levels of poverty experienced in Hamilton. Tom Cooper, Director of the organization, is unhappy with the recent funding changes. He said, “We are very discouraged that the Ontario government has abandoned its commitment to a poverty strategy and are not protecting the most vulnerable residents of our community.”

In response to the changes The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction already has plans underway in order to combat this new set back: “we are working all hands on deck to change the provincial governments minds as it is so detrimental to the community,” Cooper said. The charity has since been in contact with Hamilton City Council to look at a day of action in order to speak out to provincial politicians.

Closely linked to the issue of homelessness are the mental health issues that often affect a large proportion of individuals who are homeless. Research from the Canadian Journal of Public health in 2005 found that 6 per cent of the homeless in Toronto have schizophrenia, and a further 20-40 per cent have affective disorders such as kleptomania, major depressive disorder and impulse control disorders, amongst others. In addition to this Toronto’s Pathways into Homelessness Project found that 29 per cent of shelter users met the criteria for having anti-social personality disorders.

Evidently, the issue of homelessness is a very pressing problem, and here at McMaster University the problem hasn’t gone unnoticed. DeGroote Impact is a student-run initiative, now in its fifth year, and works to support the Good Shepherd Youth Shelter.

“5 Days for the Homeless” is one of the biggest events DeGroote Impact puts on in which students live outside the student centre for the week to raise awareness about what the public can do to help the homeless. They also run bake sales and talent shows. This year is no exception and DeGroote is hoping to launch the best campaign they have had so far, and spread the message further than the year before.

Aaron Grierson

The Silhouette

 

Last week was certainly full of something to wake us all up from our end of term stupor: loud music strategically placed right outside of the student centre. Now, it isn’t altogether unusual to hear loud music around campus; university students have a pretty hefty amount of freedom. This time, it was more the cause that surprised me.

I first saw the banner on Monday morning en route to class. “Five days For the Homeless.” It sounded like a fairly noble cause, though most charity group events do. But what something sounds like isn’t always the same as what the organization, or members of the organization, represents. Some get arrested for public drunkenness and masturbation, others for fraud. As far as I know, no one involved in last week’s event was arrested for anything. At least I certainly hope not – playing non-discriminatory music just isn’t a crime. To wish ill upon those that mean well just smells like bad karma to me. But I digress.

My attention was taken not so much by the banner, but by the mad techno beats that were dropping on my way out of class. Now, I also heard “Walk Off The Earth”, so I can’t really complain. About the music, that is. The first thing that crossed my mind when I heard the music was something along the lines of “What the hell? That makes no sense!” And it still doesn’t. I’m a fourth-year student, can safely say I’ve learned a lot and am probably no idiot. But the connection between ‘living like the homeless’ and having a free D.J. set for several hours a day evades me.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand that there is awareness raising going on, in the same fashion that liking a Kony video might accomplish. In other words, not a whole lot is actually being done. Sure, the people looked friendly, and I saw dancers and cupcakes, but all of that really adds to the nonsensical nature of living like the homeless outside of a university with fancy sleeping bags and the luxuries that apparently come with it. As someone who loves to camp, the setup they had was awfully comfortable looking.

It certainly sends a message to me. One that I have to think about outside of the general area, as it can be quite hard to think when there is loud music blasting away. Aside from selling food and showing people their moves, I don’t really think a whole lot was accomplished. Now I’ll probably piss a lot of people off, but that seems to be the case with a lot of the social “movements” that have been happening “across the country” lately. Yes, that includes those of us that take pride in occupying a corner of a building that they’ve already paid for.

I wholeheartedly agree with the intents of these groups of people. I’m just very sceptical about the follow-through of these intents. There is a lack of action in my opinion. Fundraising is all well and good, but even major charities have been known to put a lot of the funds they raise towards exuberantly large paycheques. The audience at McMaster is comparably small to the rest of the city, or region for that matter, and in my experience, Hamilton has one of the better public transportation systems in these parts. And it should be known that there are better times of year for these sorts of events. Let’s face it; end of term is not the most luxurious experience. That way, there would be fewer excuses for going farther and doing real work next time.

So maybe next time you try and support the homeless, you should get out and panhandle. At least that way you’d be making some change.