The issue of modern homelessness is broad and complex, affecting too many of our neighbors and communities.

Let’s explore solutions together.

The definition of homelessness is broader than you might expect.


SOMEONE

IndividualsINDIVIDUALS
FamiliesFAMILIES
ChildrenCHILDREN

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

NowNOW:
currently without housing
Soon14 DAYS:
will soon be without shelter
FleeAT 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’s a wide range of reasons why someone might be homeless.

CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS ARE COMPLEX TO UNTANGLE, BUT IT COMES DOWN TO CONFLICT BETWEEN SYSTEM AND INDIVIDUAL.
From the system perspective, a society with a lack of supportive and health services, a suffering economy, or a lack of affordable housing can be challenging for individuals on the brink of homelessness. From an individual perspective, these people can be classified as those unable to work without assistance, those able to work but are unemployed, and those who are employed. The grey areas in between, where the individual can’t seem to succeed within the broader socio-political environment (however flawed it may be), is where conflicts happen that result in someone heading toward homelessness.
Some people experiencing homelessness are actually employed and reasonably able to afford most of the things they need—except for affordable housing. Perhaps they have been foreclosed on or evicted, or maybe their neighborhood has undergone gentrification. Regardless, with a lack of affordable housing reasonably available to this population, despite having jobs that pay above minimum wage, they risk becoming homeless.
Some people experiencing homelessness who are employed may continue to suffer an economic hardship through a low-paying job or poverty, where they can’t afford the things they need despite being employed. If the economic context improves and businesses are able to offer employees higher pay, this group of people may be spared homelessness.
Also in the category of those able to work but are unemployed (or underemployed) are those who are not particularly suffering a personal hardship: instead they have found themselves experiencing an economic hardship, such as job loss or chronic unemployment, because of a system-wide suffering economy. As the economy improves, or as these individuals can re-establish themselves in a changing economy, their chances of economic suffering decline.
The next category is those who are theoretically able to work, but are suffering in the short term because of a tragedy or personal hardship—those who have recently lived through a natural disaster, experienced domestic abuse, are going through a divorce, etc.—and so also require additional supportive and health services to overcome. This category also includes anyone who might need assistance joining or re-entering the workforce, such as veterans or ex-convicts.
The final category is those who are unable to work without assistance. They may suffer from a physical or mental disorder (such as a mental illness or substance abuse problem) which renders them unable to enter the workforce without significant recovery or assistance. If they receive adequate supportive and health services (from the system / environment), their chance of homelessness is lessened.
… or the ability to call upon friends and family to help in a time of need. Those who experience homeless not only experience system-individual conflict, but they have fallen through this personal safety net. In a time of need, with dwindling personal connections to rely on, faced with the overwhelming systemic challenges described above, they become homeless.

There’s a wide range of reasons why someone might be homeless.

CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS ARE COMPLEX TO UNTANGLE, BUT IT COMES DOWN TO CONFLICT BETWEEN SYSTEM AND INDIVIDUAL.
From the system perspective, a society with a lack of supportive and health services, a suffering economy, or a lack of affordable housing can be challenging for individuals on the brink of homelessness. From an individual perspective, these people can be classified as those unable to work without assistance, those able to work but are unemployed, and those who are employed. The grey areas in between, where the individual can’t seem to succeed within the broader socio-political environment (however flawed it may be), is where conflicts happen that result in someone heading toward homelessness.
Some people experiencing homelessness are actually employed and reasonably able to afford most of the things they need—except for affordable housing. Perhaps they have been foreclosed on or evicted, or maybe their neighborhood has undergone gentrification. Regardless, with a lack of affordable housing reasonably available to this population, despite having jobs that pay above minimum wage, they risk becoming homeless.
Some people experiencing homelessness who are employed may continue to suffer an economic hardship through a low-paying job or poverty, where they can’t afford the things they need despite being employed. If the economic context improves and businesses are able to offer employees higher pay, this group of people may be spared homelessness.
Also in the category of those able to work but are unemployed (or underemployed) are those who are not particularly suffering a personal hardship: instead they have found themselves experiencing an economic hardship, such as job loss or chronic unemployment, because of a system-wide suffering economy. As the economy improves, or as these individuals can re-establish themselves in a changing economy, their chances of economic suffering decline.
The next category is those who are theoretically able to work, but are suffering in the short term because of a tragedy or personal hardship—those who have recently lived through a natural disaster, experienced domestic abuse, are going through a divorce, etc.—and so also require additional supportive and health services to overcome. This category also includes anyone who might need assistance joining or re-entering the workforce, such as veterans or ex-convicts.
The final category is those who are unable to work without assistance. They may suffer from a physical or mental disorder (such as a mental illness or substance abuse problem) which renders them unable to enter the workforce without significant recovery or assistance. If they receive adequate supportive and health services (from the system / environment), their chance of homelessness is lessened.
… or the ability to call upon friends and family to help in a time of need. Those who experience homeless not only experience system-individual conflict, but they have fallen through this personal safety net. In a time of need, with dwindling personal connections to rely on, faced with the overwhelming systemic challenges described above, they become homeless.

People without homes face many everyday challenges —
but organizations provide services to help them overcome these adversities.

People experiencing homelessness face many everyday challenges —
but organizations provide services to help them overcome these adversities.

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.

Ready to learn more?

EXPLORE DATA

Use an interactive map and chart interface to view the homelessness issue in the U.S. and compare related factors. Zoom to your city to examine local trends.

BROWSE STRATEGIES

Browse a set of strategies that cities and organizations worldwide are already testing. Find the solution that best fits your resources and needs.

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.

pre-civil-war_square

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.

post-civil-war_square

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.

great-depression_square

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.

urban-renewal_square

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.

social-policy_square

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.