I am human too: a call for the government to do their part.

 

Have you ever wondered about the experiences of street dwellers? 
Or why are there so many of them? 

My name is Karimah Samuel, and I am a third-year student at The University Of The West Indies. Recently I was tasked with an assignment to conduct my first mini ethnography based on any topic of my choice. Due to my background of community-based initiatives and my urge to fathom the underlying factors of what causes a person to do what they do as well as their experiences; I based my research on homelessness in Trinidad and Tobago.  My ethnographic research entitled “stepping in the shoe of a street dweller” aimed to investigate the many causal factors of homelessness as well as the experiences street dwellers encounter on a day-to-day basis. During my interview process, consequently, to hearing my participants' responses to how helpful the government has been, I mentally stumbled upon many questions that were in relation to the government’s interventions that can prevent, curb and alleviate this social issue.

For many years there has been an increase in homelessness throughout the beautiful island of Trinidad and Tobago. This issue has persisted without any effective interventions to curb its growing prevalence. Based on many observations and derived data from my research, it became apparent that no significant attention is given to this issue. It is as though the government of sweet T&T shades is too dark or the cataracts in their eyes have prevented them year after year from seeing and realizing how detrimental this phenomenon is to the country and its welfare.

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Human beings of the same flesh as us laying in the streets on the cold and hard concrete without anything to eat, have smoothly integrated itself into our culture. This has been ongoing for so long that it has become a norm. It seems as though we as a country have lost all compassion, we walk past street dwellers almost every day without their situation striking a nerve in our bodies. We also worsen the situation with our unpleasant behaviors towards them during any interaction, but then the question poses, how can the citizens be encouraged to sway away from the portrayal of inhumane attitudes when those responsible for our people act as though this group is invisible.

Building on the sociological concept of stratification, we can see how it has manifested itself through this phenomenon. According to Schizzerotto (2012), the expression of social stratification refers to the position held by individuals and groups in the structures of inequality existing in a society. In his academic literature, he added that it denotes the classification of groups and individuals into different groups on the basis of the amount of privilege and the intensity of power they are able to exert over other people. Homeless people are seen as underprivileged and powerless hence the reason they are looked down on and shunned upon by the government and other citizens. Additionally, this can also be the reasoning behind why street dwellers are maltreated by citizens. Although through my data collection process of active participation I was unable to witness this actual interaction, through the entirety of my years on planet earth I’ve seen this result whether it is done physically or verbally.   

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Moreover, the question of how those in authority can bring this issue to halt when they have not made an attempt to invest time to thoroughly investigate and understand the hidden occurrences plaques my mind. Drawing on the theoretical approach, the ‘New Orthodoxy’ which was derived from my research provides the government with guided suggestions to develop preventative strategies. This theoretical approach suggests that both structural and individualized issues contribute to the growth of socially displaced individuals. Therefore, the government can firstly understand those factors and then develop legislations and initiatives that adequately assist with curbing its prevalence.

 In addition, it has been seen and established that the government has not dedicated any substantial resources that can really assist street dwellers with alleviating their perceived challenges or implementations that can provide opportunities for empowerment to decrease the number of socially displaced persons throughout the island while creating pathways for reintegration into society. 

Personally, this entire issue has provoked many emotions within my body. These emotions worsen during my participant observation and the interview process. Hearing about these experiences from the participants and first handedly observing the conditions this group is living in striked many nerves within my body. It is about time the government recognizes that this issue is of paramount importance and subsequently creates swift and effective solutions to combat this social issue.