Seeking Judgment Free Spaces: Poverty, Leisure, And Social Inclusion (Report‪)‬

Over the last 20 years, we have seen the proliferation of poverty and homelessness in North America. Poverty is found in urban and rural areas and in affluent regions; no community is immune (Lee, 2000; Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture & Forestry, 2006). With the recent economic crises, poverty rates are growing, and news reports detailing "mortgage foreclosures, the squalid state of much social housing, and the growing ranks of those living on the streets are finally becoming topics of mainstream discussion" (Mair & Trussell, in press). At the same time, similar to other Western countries, in the last two decades social support programs in Canada were restructured--moving from welfare to work programs and shifting the onus of responsibility from social institutions to individual citizens (Chouinard & Crooks; Coulter, 2009; Gazso, 2007). Given the dramatic shifts in governance and support systems affecting those living in poverty, and the recent economic crises that have characterized the early twenty-first century, there is no better time to try to understand the impacts of these changes as well as to consider how they might be addressed. Despite the growing prevalence of homelessness in North American society, relatively little research to date in the field of leisure studies has focused on those individuals and families who are homeless or are struggling to maintain a stable living environment. Notable exceptions are studies by Klitzing (2003; 2004), Dawson and Harrington (1996), and Tirone (2003/2004). Nonetheless, it is important to explore leisure's potential role in helping to address what Mills (1959) called "private troubles" and "public issues."