This article is based on my doctoral dissertation, which was conducted under the supervision of Professors Bastien Quirion and Sylvie Frigon at the University of Ottawa, and benefited from funding from the Fonds de recherche du Québec—Science et culture (FRQSC). I would like to thank Professors Audrey Giles and Dave Holmes at the University of Ottawa for their insightful comments and support. I would also like to thank the organizers of the colloquium on the penalization of homelessness : Professor Dominique Bernier, Professor Sue-Ann MacDonald and Audrey-Anne Dumais Michaud for providing the space to discuss the different aspects of penalization.