Homelessness in Port of Spain and Chaguanas

Image 1 (Source: Phang. 2015. Blog Assignment - Introduction to Urban Geography)

This photo was taken at Tamarind Square Port of Spain. Tamarind Square is located between George Street and Duncan Street as well as Independence Sq. N and Independence Sq. S. The name of the homeless person is Lorde and he has been on the streets for over 20 years. He even smiled when the picture was taken.

In addition to a previous post on Homelessness, there are slight variations between the homeless due to their geographical setting. The quantity of homeless is significantly greater in Port of Spain than that of Chaguanas. According to an article written by Geisha Kowlesser Port of Spain holds the largest proportion of homeless with 307 out of a total of 534 in an 2011 census. A characteristic of the homeless is they tend to migrate therefore the quantity of homeless in each location varies. There is a wide gap in the ratio of homeless men to homeless women. This attribute can be seen in both Port of Spain and Chaguanas. Approximately 279 of the 307 street dwellers in Port of Spain are male, on the other hand only 28 of that number is female. 

Clothing and hygiene are seen on different levels for both areas. Some of the homeless maintain their hygiene somewhat while others completely neglect their hygiene and live in their own filth. Amount and type of clothing also varies. There was one instance in Broadwalk Port of Spain whereby a vagrant man removed all his cloths, leaned against the wall of Republic Bank of Canada (RBC) and was very vocal. There are others whose choice of clothing are a pants or jersey alone. Others are fully clothed and even go as far as expressing their fashion sense. The homeless in Port of Spain can be seen as more fashionable. 

                                               
Source: Lois M. Takahashi 1996 pg301

In the continuum of stigma diagram to the right homeless persons fall short in all three criteria and therefore are the most stigmatized. It seems dismal for the homeless in particular but their socioeconomic status is not static thereby they can move up the social ladder. There are homes and shelters in Trinidad that can help the homeless become integrated within society. Illegal immigrants are similar but an important difference is that they seek a better life. Homelessness as a choice is debatable. Those who enter street life because of abuse, drugs and other social pressures, as well as economic and political pressure are not there by choice. They were in some way forced into homelessness. Can someone freely choose street life as their only lifestyle? 

Disabled in Trinidad's Urban Space

 Image 1 (Source: Phang. 2015. Blog Assignment - Introduction to Urban Geography)

 This picture was taken on Fredrick Street. The man in the picture suffers from dwarfism and due to certain ailments is confined to a wheelchair.


The physical and spatial configuration of the built environment suggests that urban design practices are inattentive to the needs of disabled people (Imrie. R. 2000)

Image 2 (Source: Phang. 2015. Blog Assignment - Introduction to Urban Geography)

This picture was taken in front of RBC Bank located along Broadway. The man in the picture has only one leg as the other had undergone amputation. Next to him barely visible is his walking crutch used to support his weight on one side. He is sustaining himself by selling small trinkets, souvenirs and other goods.

This picture was taken on Queen Street. At the forefront of the picture is a parking sign which indicates times parking is allowed. Parking for the disabled was mainly seen in areas where there were high status high paying jobs such as by the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank and privately owned compounds and businesses.                                                                                                                                                             

Disabled people are marginalised and excluded from'mainstream'society (Kitchin. R. 1998).        

                                                                                                            Image 3 (Source: Phang. 2015. 

Blog Assignment - Introduction to Urban Geography)                             

                   

Image 4 (Source: Phang. 2015. Blog Assignment - Introduction to Urban Geography)

This is a picture of a curb in Port of Spain designed to facilitate the disabled. It represents Chaguanas as well. These urban areas were not properly designed to assist the disabled. These areas on the contrary exclude the disabled. The side walk ramps are either too high, too steep or completely absent from the sidewalk. Within one block there are sometimes only one ramp, therefore those bound too wheelchairs have to travel that one ramp to get up or down from the sidewalk. 

Urban design plays a vital role in all who occupy these spaces. Both Port of Spain and Chaguanas are inadequate to properly accommodate the disabled. It can however be seen through the above photos that the disabled still occupy these spaces despite the difficulty of "getting around. The following are key components of socioeconomic status and should be taken into serious consideration. Within SES privilege, power and control are emphasized. As one goes up the hierarchy the more these characteristics increase and the more influence they have on the structure and design of urban spaces. They have the power to change. 

People with disability have limited opportunities and this would therefore affect their socioeconomic status. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) defines disability as an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions (WHO 2014). Housing Census of 2000 indicated that there were 45,496 persons with disabilities living in
Trinidad and Tobago (Huggins. J. 2012). Social and economic mobility are limited due to educational barriers, income, medical expenses, health and well-being which hinders quality of life, emotional state, poor quality of life, and other problems depending on the type of disability present.

 Increasingly, research on disability has been guided by a definition that focuses on the interaction between the individual and the environment and by a minority-group perspective based on the propositions that discriminatory attitudes are the primary source of the problems of disabled citizens, that the environment is shaped by public policy, and that policies reflect prevalent social attitudes and values (Hahn. H. 1986).

Geographies Of Homelessness (Port of Spain)

(Photo Reference: Phang. 2015.Blog Assignment - An Intro to Urban Geography)

Walking past such a scene on Independence Square is not uncommon to Trinidadians.The same can be said for the neglect that the homeless receive in most urban spaces. Cities are characterized by movement ; particularly a constantly fast paced lifestyle as persons move to and fro with urgency.Within the urban setting this factor contributes to the invisibility and exclusion that is associated with homelessness. However, there is a reason for the convergence of the homeless in the Urban place. In Port of Spain alone, there is a large population of the homeless that occupy Tamarind Square ( east of Brian Lara Promenade)  typically referred to by some as “vagrant square” which in its appearance is somewhat of a campsite for these street dwellers.The homeless recognize the opportunities of charity and a greater chance of survival in the urban setting as opposed to a more rural or residential area.  In the image above, a homeless man lays asleep along a walkway in broad daylight. His presence here may only affect the route in which some pedestrians may take, the one furthest away from where he lies because of the general stigma that is attached to homelessness.

The geographies of homelessness is a field  in which has not been fully explored by human geographers, past and existing censuses on the homeless population may never be precise to actual numbers as the geographies of the matter is complex. Through the investigation of the American experience with homelessness (Takahashi,1996) conflicting theories exist on the root causes of homelessness; while some geographers  would like to lay the blame on structural changes or circumstances  beyond the control of those who become homeless (global economy, increasingly competitive markets and the saturation of particular disciplines that result in unemployment others) social scientists argue the individual vulnerabilities or deficits constitute the primary cause for example the choice to indulge in drugs and other substances that lead to their downward spiral. Further exploration of the causes of homelessness can only be done on a personal level, research must progress in the direction of personal cases and social work.

Particular to the Trinidad experience with homelessness, the situation is driven by the lost of home rather than that of persons willingly wanting to be homeless. According to a local study,40 percent of the homeless have nowhere to live, were thrown out of their home or their home was destroyed, 25 percent stated that their parents were deceased and there was no one to care for them, 21 percent had drug and alcohol problems and 14 percent were hospitalized, in prison and/or unemployed  (Grant 2008).

The public stigma created whether intentionally or unintentionally by the media and governmental bodies do not aid in the efforts to assist the homeless.The homeless are humiliated and ostracized, scorned and ignored by those who cannot fathom or will never know what it is like reach a junction that leads to being without a home.Homelessness, with direct ties to poverty, is difficult to escape and barriers of home making and “the process of home” exist in an effort to transition. In supplying the homeless with a connection to a residential place that they may have familiarity to, home making may face several constraints. One of the major problems is in establishing what is the true nature of “home” and how this can be differentiated from the concepts of a "shelter" ( Rivlin and Moore, 2001). 

While non governmental organization in the form of humanitarians and religious bodies have made an effort to house the homeless temporarily and nourish them, the government of Trinidad and Tobago should make a greater effort toward incentives that curb the numbers of street dwellers within these urban spaces with the aid of explorations of the geographies of homelessness.