Suggested Citation

Hales, Jennifer, 2010, "Learning About Homelessness in British Columbia", Burnaby, BC, Canada: Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University, 166 pages.

The Author: Jennifer Hales

Jennifer Hales has written teachers. guides on social justice, environmental and other topics for groups such as World Vision Canada, the BC Teachers. Federation, the West Vancouver School District (#45), and Society for Partnership (SOPAR). Her work has been accredited by the Curriculum Services Canada (www.curriculum.org) and approved by the Alberta Ministry of Education. She is a former classroom teacher in BC and has a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT).

Jennifer Hales is available to give workshops and talks on homelessness and to provide professional development for teachers on teaching about homelessness. Please contact her by email at hales_jc@yahoo.ca

Learning About Homelessness in British Columbia

Integrating Homelessness Issues into senior social sciences and humanities courses, including Civics 11, Social Studies 11, Economics 12, First Nations 12, Law 12, and Social Justice 12

Teaching Resource

-Developed with the financial support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada under their Strategic Joint Initiatives Program in cooperation with the National Homelessness Secretariat

-Additional administrative support was provided by the Metropolis British Columbia Center of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Diversity

Introduction

Learning about Homelessness in British Columbia is a resource guide for teachers to use with their students to support aspects of British Columbia senior high school courses, including Civics 11, Social Studies 11, Economics 12, First Nations 12, Law 12, and Social Justice 12. The lessons contained in the resource meet learning outcomes that are part of the mandated curriculum in the British Columbia Ministry of Education Integrated Resource Packages (IRPs). Teachers of other courses and grade levels can adapt lessons as they see fit. The resource is also appropriate for use with other youth and adult groups.

The resource includes:

. a teacher backgrounder on homelessness

. a set of activities and lessons on homelessness for teachers to do with their students

.a list of supplementary resources related to homelessness (teacher.s guides, films, books, reports)

The overall goals of the resource are:

. To develop in students an understanding of homelessness, including the reasons for the increase in homelessness over the past decades and the policy tools that exist to reduce homelessness

. To foster empathy and a sense of justice regarding the suffering of others

. To develop in students a sense of civic responsibility and to encourage their meaningful participation in society

Why Teach about Homelessness?

In the 1970s and 1980s, there was barely any visible homelessness in British Columbia and other parts of Canada. Over the past ten to fifteen years, the number of people who live in severe destitution and deprivation on the streets and in precarious housing situations in towns and cities across British Columbia has dramatically and rapidly increased. Teaching students about homelessness gives them the opportunity to gain more in-depth knowledge about the problem, to explore and clarify their views about homelessness, to develop a sense of empathy and justice, to understand that they and society have a responsibility as citizens of a democracy to contribute to ending homelessness, and to understand that policy tools exist to reduce homelessness.

Sections of the Resource

Introduction

Teacher Backgrounder on Homelessness

13 Activities/Lesson Plans with Black Line Masters

Supplementary Resources:

. Films about Homelessness

. Canadian websites with teachers' guides on homelessness

. Reports, articles, books, websites, novels, poetry, music

Presentation to the BC Social Studies Teachers Association, 21 October 2010.