"Welfare is the Second Last Resort. The Last Resort is Death (1)". an Exploratory Analysis of Social Assistance, Victimization and Crime‪.‬

Abstract Numerous empirical studies have sought to establish a link between poverty, crime and victimization. However, the limitations of official crime and victimization statistics do not allow for a meaningful understanding of the experiences of the poorest of the poor in Canadian society. The homeless, those living in shelters, in downtown single room occupancy hotels, and in rooming houses are seldom surveyed about their experiences with crime and victimization. In this paper I present some preliminary findings from a multi-method study of crime and victimization among this segment of the urban poor. In-depth, qualitative interviews with a purposive and diverse sample of social assistance recipients in the inner city of Winnipeg provide the basis for the analysis. Preliminary analysis of the interview data suggests that the victimization experiences of this segment of the urban poor are unique and in large part shaped by their economic circumstances. The interviews also demonstrate that many among the urban poor do not view victimization in the same way as do the more fortunate in Canadian society. I use the words of interview participants in this paper to re-conceptualize the notion of victimization as it applies to the poorest of the urban poor. Furthermore, the experiences of participants provide a sobering account of the way the actions of governments, financial institutions and some inner city businesses interact in ways that can leave the most vulnerable in our society feeling even more victimized.