Life Unscripted - Stories of Mental Health and Addiction

Are there good homeless and bad homeless?

Janice Arnoldi

Does society divide people who are homeless into good and bad? Most people would say no, but sub-consciously many of us see a dividing line. The "good" homeless are people who lost their home and are new to living without a roof - maybe they lost their job and can't afford rent. Then there's the "bad" - the people who are living rough because of mental illness, addiction struggles or both. 

Karen Orlandi is studying for a doctorate in social justice, specifically the cost of homelessness. She is minister at Silver Spire Church in downtown St. Catharines and does a lot of outreach in the city's core.