Most cities and towns have at least some people who are homeless or living in poverty, or both. People in this situation might have been going through a difficult time in their lives, or they might just have grown up that way. Many different factors can lead to poverty and homelessness. If you want to try to change that, you might want to consider a job or a career that helps the homeless and those living in poverty.

People in Canada can fall into poverty for many reasons, such as low wages or a disability that makes it difficult to find work, and homelessness can often follow. About fourteen percent of Canadians live in poverty, and up to 300,000 people experience homelessness each year. They might be homeless for a few weeks, months, or years at a time. This situation is difficult for them, but it is also expensive for the government and the rest of society. Working with the homeless and people in poverty can help everyone.

One option is to work directly with the people in need at a homeless shelter or food bank. This work could involve checking people in and out of the shelter, organizing meals, filling food orders, or other tasks. Some people in this type of work have no special training, but others might be qualified social workers or other professionals.

Providing a place to stay and making food available to people are two essential first steps for working with the homeless and people in poverty. Unless these two needs are filled, people are unlikely to be able to concentrate on anything else they need. However, people in these situations need other kinds of help, as well. Once they have a place to stay and enough to eat, they can start to work on their education, career, and more.

Counsellor, teachers, and nurses can also work with these kinds of people. Counsellors help people work through personal problems or advise them on choices about careers and other questions. Teachers can help them learn what they need to know for a high school diploma or other educational program. Nurses can help them if they are ill or need help with health questions. Government employees and politicians can make new laws, or they can fund programs to make a difference in the people’s lives.

These professions normally require at least a bachelor’s degree, and sometimes a master’s degree or more. Getting a bachelor’s degree normally requires at least three or four years of education after high school. This length of commitment might be somewhat long for people to choose unless they are sure of what they want. However, volunteer work is a good place to start before deciding on a profession to pursue.

Writing is another career where people can help the homeless and people living in poverty. Articles or books about issues of inequality and people’s needs can keep the public informed. This can prompt action from others. Writing a few articles each month or working as a full-time writer can be very rewarding for people who enjoy working with words.

If you care about poverty and homelessness, you can find many different ways of using your skills to help. In these jobs or others, you can be useful in working with people in need.

Bibliography:

Become with Lantern. “Careers for Poverty Aid: Lifting up the Poor Through Jobs and Community Service.” https://www.learnhowtobecome.org/make-a-difference-careers/poverty/.

Homeless Hub. “How Many People Are Homeless in Canada?” https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/homelessness-101/how-many-people-are-homeless-canada.

Homeless Hub. “Poverty.” https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/health/poverty-0.

Indeed.com. “Drop-in Support Staff.” https://ca.indeed.com/Homeless-Support-jobs?vjk=b3b9f3023e1be47b.

Student Training & Education in Public Service. “Careers Helping the Homeless.” https://www.publicservicedegrees.org/careers/working-with-the-homeless/.