The Scapes to Escape Homelessness

Poverty is not only seen in the hands of people lacking income for their basic needs but also in the urban streets where individuals struggle daily to keep up with urban life. Cities are hubs of work and economic opportunities, serving as engines of globalization by bringing economies of scale, developing markets, creating jobs, and encouraging new economic activities to flourish. People move to cities seeking a better and more prosperous life. However, city growth also presents significant challenges, impacting the environment and political, economic, and social conditions (Clos, n.d.).

One of the major problems evident in cities, the so-called centers of globalization, is the increasing number of homeless people. In the Philippines, homelessness is on the rise. As of 2018, about 4.5 million people out of a population of 106 million were homeless, according to the statistics office. Approximately 3 million homeless people reside in Manila, possibly the most in any city worldwide. The global pandemic exacerbated this issue, as many people faced socio-economic crises due to unemployment, leading to a skyrocketing number of homeless individuals. The causes of homelessness across countries are multifaceted, including shortages of affordable housing, privatization of civic services, investment speculation in housing, unplanned and rapid urbanization, as well as poverty, unemployment, and family breakdown (Chamie, 2017). Homeless people choose to reside and grapple with life in the city because it is where opportunities lie.

In the Philippines, Aoki (2008) inferred that the increase in business facilities, convenience stores, family restaurants, and the like in Metro Manila creates resources (such as scrap) on which the street homeless can survive. The opportunity for the street homeless to beg for money has also increased, attracting poor people to the streets. Additionally, the expansion of the service economy has increased job opportunities on the street, such as vendors, scavengers, barkers, and carriers. Moreover, it has brought various new occupations, such as cleaner, sandwich man, car watcher, and errand boy, which the poor can engage in with minimal capital and without any special knowledge and skills. These living circumstances have improved the chances of the homeless living on the streets and draw the poor to the city.

To elaborate on the connection between the proliferation of homelessness in urban cities and the cities themselves, despite being the nexus of global exchange in the Philippines, applying Arjun Appadurai’s concept of “scapes” can help address this contemporary condition. The concept of scapes, with its frameworks, can help explain why there is an increase in homelessness in urban cities.

The first framework is Ethnoscape, which refers to the flow of people across boundaries. According to John Paul Lapid, more people are moving to cities as they lose their homes and lands to highways and industries. This displacement forces ethnic groups, mostly the Badjaos and Lumads, to settle in cities, where they live in shanties and under bridges, risking their health and safety, and constantly facing eviction after the government and private companies acquire their ancestral land.

Another scape, Technoscape, refers to the flow of technology. As technological innovation increases, it can play an integral role in addressing homelessness. City planners and workers can leverage new technologies to improve life for everyone. Technology can provide life-saving social safety nets for people living on the street and inform the public about the lives of homeless individuals, facilitating donations and demands for safe resettlement. Additionally, technology connects people. Some individuals become homeless due to mental illnesses and other factors. With technology, the homeless can potentially reconnect with their homes and loved ones.

Arousing, organizing, and mobilizing urban poor people can help them acquire an ideology to fight for their rights. This falls under Ideoscape, which refers to the flow of ideas. Governments often underestimate the scale and depth of poverty, leading to ineffective policies for the poor, especially the homeless. This is exacerbated by the lack of voice and influence of urban poor dwellers within governments and aid agencies. Understanding that their collective fight for safe resettlement and relocation can bring change, the urban poor can organize and mobilize to amplify their calls for equal opportunities in the global city.

Economic factors also contribute to homelessness. Since cities provide opportunities and employment, the flow of money is significant. This is termed Financescape, referring to financial transactions within interconnected markets and globalization. Cities host most of these transactions and provide jobs, even low-skilled ones, for people. Homeless individuals can participate in this flow by taking on jobs that help improve their socioeconomic status, aligning them with the petite bourgeoisie class.

The final framework is Mediascape, which refers to the flow of media across borders. Media provides a large and complex repertoire of images and narratives to viewers. Poverty porn, often shown in Philippine media, is a tactic used by nonprofits and charity organizations to gain empathy and contributions from donors by displaying exploitative imagery of people living in destitute conditions (CNN). This approach leaves viewers feeling uncomfortable, disconnected, and guilty, conflicted between ignoring and sharing these images in hopes of raising awareness about poverty. This act glorifies poverty without making substantial changes in the lives of the poor, especially the homeless. Instead, media should be used to bring awareness and drive change for the homeless population in cities.

The concept of scapes can aid in addressing homelessness in urban cities by providing frameworks that tackle the grassroots problems and factors contributing to homelessness. Scapes offer a productive framework for understanding the shifting social landscapes in which contemporary people are embedded. As globalization continues to reshape contemporary social life, it is beneficial to use such tools to address and solve contemporary issues.