The definition of homelessness is broader than you might expect.
SOMEONE
![]() | INDIVIDUALS |
![]() | FAMILIES |
![]() | CHILDREN |
People experiencing homelessness can be individuals, children, or families. As of 2015, 37% of people experiencing homelessness were in families with children, 64% experienced homelessness as individuals, and 6% were children.1
without
RELIABLE SHELTER
![]() | NOW:currently without housing |
![]() | 14 DAYS:will soon be without shelter |
![]() | AT RISK:attempting to flee a life-threatening situation |
They can be currently without housing, but are also considered eligible for homeless services if they will be without housing in 14 days (i.e., eviction) or if their current housing situation is life-threatening (i.e., domestic violence).2
is considered
HOMELESS
SPECTRUM OF SEVERITY: |
On the Streets |
Abandoned Building/Vehicle |
Shelters/Missions |
Transitional Housing |
Single Room Occupancy (SRO) |
Precariously "Doubled Up" |
2+ Moves within 60 Days |
These unstable situations result in a spectrum of homelessness severity, ranging from those who have simply moved more than twice in 60 days, to those living on the streets. Each of these situations can reasonably be included in the full definition of homelessness.3
Homelessness has taken different forms throughout modern history.
There are three primary approaches to solving homelessness.
PROVIDING HOMES FIRST AS A STABLE FOUNDATION
The housing first approach simply gives homes to people experiencing homelessess, regardless of whether they are sober, have jobs, or have health problems. Being homeless is a traumatic event in itself, and so providing stability with a home first makes other issues more conquerable.11 The housing first model has proven to be very effective, retaining people in homes at higher rates while surprisingly cost-effective.12
EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS WITH CHOICES AND TRAINING
This approach goes one step beyond alleviating symptoms to empower those experiencing homelessness—which in turn provides them with more choices about their own futures. Approaches in this category include efforts like job seeker assistance, life skills training, and education, with the hope that these stepping stones, in addition to basic provisions like food and shelter, will be enough to launch them to success.
ALLEVIATING SYMPTOMS WITH SUPPORTIVE RESOURCES
This most traditional approach involves organizations alleviating the symptoms of homelessness (such as providing people with shelter, clothing, or mental health resources). The hope is that these supportive essential services will be enough to help them get back on their feet, and eventually enable them to establish themselves in a home of their own.
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II. HISTORY
The complexity of this definition was not always so broad; in fact the term “homeless” did not originate until the mid-20th century. SOURCE People without homes have surely always existed, but the form that homelessness has taken has evolved in recent decades.

1800-1860
In the pre-Civil War era, the homeless were called hobos or tramps, following where jobs led them. This era of rapid industrialization included a shift toward wage labor (as opposed to practicing trades), which resulted in jobs being less stable because workers were easier to replace. Young men followed railroad jobs west or migrated to the city for factory jobs, living wherever they could find shelter.

1860-1930
After The Civil War, this population of job-seeking workers expanded as veterans and freed slaves joined the ranks. The suffering economy of the post-war depression combined with unregulated capitalism served only to create more instability for workers – requiring them to be even more migratory to find work. The Bowery Mission in New York City was formed in 1879, one of the first shelters designed to support young men struggling to find work.

1930-1950
After the Great Depression, the negative economic impact spread to include entire families, instead of just young men – migrant workers became the norm. Skid rows began to develop in cities across the country, as these growing misplaced communities sought to create shelters for themselves. Homelessness began to be a widespread impact.

1950-1970
In the mid-19th century, the United States began to implement systemic changes that shifted the articulation of homelessness. Skid rows were cleared in the name of urban renewal, and new housing regulations (zoning, plumbing, fire codes, etc.) resulted in nightmarish tenements being torn down. While these regulations raised the bar for the condition of housing structures, low income populations were left out. Housing was now more expensive to build and maintain, and single room occupancy (SROs) were significantly depleted – meaning that low income populations, or those without jobs altogether, had even fewer housing options.

1970-2000
Beginning in the 1970s, more shelters and service organizations sprang up to help fill this void, including Rosie’s Place in Boston, the first shelter specifically for women. At the same time, several court cases established “right to shelter” and homeless assistance at the federal level. However, federal budget cuts for social service programs further exacerbated the problem – and the deinstitutionalization of mental health hospitals nationwide caused a major influx of homeless people. These vulnerable populations, those people most in need of care and attention, often had nowhere to go when they were forced out of the hospitals. This era was the beginning of modern homeless as we know it today: a chronic problem embedded in the system.