{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T07:36:19Z","timestamp":1791272179330,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,2]],"date-time":"2023-06-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1685664000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Policy, Politics, &amp; Nursing Practice"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Criminalizing homelessness is ineffective, costly, and immoral; yet it remains a dominant feature in the management of this global social issue. There has been little analysis investigating why punitive homeless policies have remained popular despite their ineffectiveness. In applying Bacchi's What's the Problem Represented to Be (WPR) framework to a Canadian encampment bylaw, our analysis demonstrated that public policies criminalizing homelessness continue to prevail because homelessness is fundamentally understood as a problem of deviant, criminal individual behavior. We argue that reframing understandings of homelessness from one of criminality to a human rights issue gives way to more dignified, just, and effective solutions, such as the Housing First Model. We suggest that community health nurses can serve a key role in disrupting these criminalizing discourses across domains of policy, research, and practice by advocating for holistic, rights-based, and equity-oriented policy solutions related to homelessness.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/15271544231176255","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,2]],"date-time":"2023-06-02T06:35:18Z","timestamp":1685687718000},"page":"178-186","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["From a Criminal to a Human-Rights Issue: Re-Imagining Policy Solutions to Homelessness"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9742-9556","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tasneem","family":"Owadally","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7640-8614","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Quinn","family":"Grundy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18042020"},{"key":"bibr2-15271544231176255","volume-title":"The criminalisation of homelessness: Homeless in Europe","author":"Aldanas M. J.","year":"2020"},{"key":"bibr3-15271544231176255","first-page":"1","volume-title":"Analysing policy: What\u2019s the problem represented to be?","author":"Bacchi C. L.","year":"2009"},{"key":"bibr4-15271544231176255","unstructured":"Boone L., Courn\u00e8de B., Plouin M. (2021, December 13).\n                      Finland\u2019s zero homeless strategy: Lessons from a success story.\n                      Ecoscope. https:\/\/oecdecoscope.blog\/2021\/12\/13\/finlands-zero-homeless-strategy-lessons-from-a-success-story\/#:\u223c:text=The%20number%20of%20homeless%20people,the%20population%20(Figure%201)"},{"key":"bibr5-15271544231176255","unstructured":"Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (2021).\n                      About homelessness: Supporting communities to end and prevent homelessness\n                      . https:\/\/www.homelesshub.ca\/about-homelessness\/homelessness-101\/what-homelessness"},{"key":"bibr6-15271544231176255","unstructured":"Cathy Crowe (n.d.).\n                      About Cathy Crowe\n                      . https:\/\/www.cathycrowe.ca\/about.html"},{"key":"bibr7-15271544231176255","unstructured":"City of Toronto (2021).\n                      Toronto municipal code chapter 608, parks\n                      . https:\/\/www.toronto.ca\/legdocs\/municode\/1184_608.pdf"},{"key":"bibr8-15271544231176255","volume-title":"Understanding encampments of people experiencing homelessness and community responses: Emerging evidence as of late 2018","author":"Cohen R."},{"key":"bibr9-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/nuf.12375"},{"key":"bibr10-15271544231176255","volume-title":"Exploring homelessness among people living in encampments and associated cost","author":"Dunton L.","year":"2020"},{"key":"bibr11-15271544231176255","unstructured":"Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (2017).\n                      Europe and homelessness- Alarm trends\n                      . https:\/\/www.feantsa.org\/download\/europe-and-homelessness-alarming-trends3178124453170261721.pdf"},{"issue":"2","key":"bibr12-15271544231176255","first-page":"357","volume":"7","author":"Gaetz S.","year":"2013","journal-title":"Canadian Homelessness Research Network"},{"key":"bibr13-15271544231176255","unstructured":"Gibson V. (2020, October 21).\n                      Court rejects injunction to prevent Toronto from enforcing encampment prohibition in city parks.\n                      Toronto Stars. https:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/gta\/2020\/10\/21\/court-rejects-injunction-to-prevent-toronto-from-enforcing-encampment-prohibition-in-city-parks.html?rf"},{"key":"bibr14-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3138\/uhr.43.01.02"},{"key":"bibr15-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jocn.15861"},{"key":"bibr16-15271544231176255","volume-title":"Housing first in international contexts: What we\u2019ve learned","author":"Hagy R.","year":"2021"},{"key":"bibr17-15271544231176255","unstructured":"Herhalt C. (2021, June 23).\n                      Trinity-Bellwoods encampment evictions \u201creasonable, firm, but compassionate:\u201d Tory.\n                      CP24- Toronto News. https:\/\/www.cp24.com\/news\/trinity-bellwoods-encampment-evictions-reasonable-firm-but-compassionate-tory-1.5481942"},{"key":"bibr18-15271544231176255","first-page":"1","volume-title":"Finding home: Policy options for addressing homelessness in Canada","author":"Hulchanski J. D.","year":"2009"},{"key":"bibr19-15271544231176255","unstructured":"International Council of Nurses (2021).\n                      The ICN code of ethics for nurses\n                      . https:\/\/www.icn.ch\/system\/files\/2021-10\/ICN_Code-of-Ethics_EN_Web_0.pdf"},{"key":"bibr20-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/oso\/9780192856296.003.0024"},{"key":"bibr21-15271544231176255","first-page":"196","volume-title":"Agendas, alternatives, and public policies","author":"Kingdon J. W.","year":"1995","edition":"2"},{"key":"bibr22-15271544231176255","unstructured":"Loriggio P. (2021, October 25).\n                      Lawsuit alleges 5 assaulted by officers at clearing of Toronto homeless encampment.\n                      Global News. https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/8322822\/toronto-homeless-encampment-lawsuit\/"},{"key":"bibr23-15271544231176255","unstructured":"McGillivray K. (2021, January 12).\n                      Ontario\u2019s homeless 5 times more likely to die of COVID-19, study finds.\n                      CBC News. https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/toronto\/ontario-s-homeless-5-times-more-likely-to-die-of-covid-19-study-finds-1.5869024"},{"key":"bibr24-15271544231176255","unstructured":"National Homelessness Law Centre (2017).\n                      Tent city, USA: Growth of America\u2019s homeless encampments and how communities are responding\n                      . https:\/\/homelesslaw.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Tent_City_USA_2017.pdf"},{"issue":"1","key":"bibr25-15271544231176255","first-page":"131","volume":"15","author":"Nelson G.","year":"2021","journal-title":"European Journal of Homelessness"},{"key":"bibr26-15271544231176255","unstructured":"Neufeld A. (2021, June 15). \u2018\n                      Like a rat cage\u2019: Toronto\u2019s homeless describe packed shelters\n                      ,\n                      surge in violence and death.\n                      CTV News. https:\/\/toronto.ctvnews.ca\/like-a-rat-cage-toronto-s-homeless-describe-packed-shelters-surge-in-violence-and-death-1.5471155"},{"key":"bibr27-15271544231176255","volume-title":"Can I see you ID? The policing of youth homelessness in Toronto","author":"O\u2019Grady B.","year":"2011"},{"key":"bibr28-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17269\/s41997-021-00581-w"},{"key":"bibr29-15271544231176255","volume-title":"The rise of nurses as a political, and vocal, force","author":"Payne E."},{"key":"bibr30-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1525\/nclr.2019.22.1.99"},{"key":"bibr31-15271544231176255","volume-title":"Social determinants of health: The Canadian facts","author":"Raphael D.","year":"2020","edition":"2"},{"key":"bibr32-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jnu.12567"},{"key":"bibr34-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2939044"},{"key":"bibr35-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14649365.2018.1509115"},{"key":"bibr36-15271544231176255","unstructured":"Statistics Canada (2022).\n                      Homelessness in Canada\n                      . https:\/\/www150.statcan.gc.ca\/n1\/pub\/11-627-m\/11-627-m2022017-eng.htm"},{"key":"bibr37-15271544231176255","unstructured":"United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (2022).\n                      HUD releases\n                      2022\n                      annual homeless assessment report\n                      . https:\/\/www.hud.gov\/press\/press_releases_media_advisories\/HUD_No_22_253"},{"key":"bibr38-15271544231176255","unstructured":"United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (2022).\n                      What other cities can learn from Boston\u2019s public health approach to homelessness\n                      . https:\/\/www.usich.gov\/news\/what-other-cities-can-learn-from-bostons-public-health-approach-to-homelessness"},{"key":"bibr39-15271544231176255","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2008).\n                      Commission on social determinants of health\n                      . file:\/\/\/C:\/Users\/ibrah\/Downloads\/9789241563703_eng%20(1).pdf"},{"key":"bibr40-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/00178969211037362"},{"key":"bibr41-15271544231176255","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/0312407X.2013.842604"}],"container-title":["Policy, Politics, &amp; Nursing Practice"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/15271544231176255","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/15271544231176255","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/15271544231176255","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T05:49:11Z","timestamp":1777700951000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/15271544231176255"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,2]]},"references-count":40,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,8]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/15271544231176255"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/15271544231176255","relation":{},"ISSN":["1527-1544","1552-7468"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1527-1544","type":"print"},{"value":"1552-7468","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,2]]}}}