homelessness / houselessness
Last updatedWhat to know
A “homeless individual” is defined by the US government in various terms, including a person who “lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence”; “an individual or family with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings”; and “an individual or family living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements.”
Person-first language such as “people without housing,” “people without homes,” or “person experiencing homelessness (or houselessness)” may read as less stigmatizing than a phrase like “the homeless,” as it reinforces that houselessness is one aspect of someone’s identity that doesn’t define them. “Houseless” or “unhoused” also decouples the concept from the more positive connotation of “home,” and encompasses more than “homeless,” as this could also refer to, for example, living in one’s vehicle. Terms like “vagrant” and “derelict” can be dehumanizing and stigmatizing.
Phrases such as “person (or people) experiencing homelessness” may pose a challenge to character limits in headlines, for instance. In those cases, a term like “houseless” may make sense. When possible, understanding how people experiencing houselessness or homelessness identify can be helpful (as described in this source and this one).
Additional resources
- Frequently Asked Questions (National Health Care for the Homeless Council)
- How We Talk About Homelessness Is Finally Changing (Curbed)
- Homeless and houseless can mean different things (Maui News)
- Why Kirsten Harris-Talley Makes a Point of Using the Word ‘Houselessness’ (Seattle Weekly)
- The Word ‘Houseless’ Made Me Rethink Perceptions of Homeless People (Medium)
Summary
Homelessness and houselessness are terms for the state of individuals currently lacking a regular nighttime residence. Person-first language such as “people without housing,” “people without homes,” or “person experiencing homelessness (or houselessness)” may read as less stigmatizing than a phrase like “the homeless,” as it reinforces that houselessness is one aspect of someone’s identity that doesn’t define them. “Houseless” or “unhoused” also decouples the concept from the more positive connotation of “home,” and encompasses more than “homeless,” as this could also refer to, for example, living in one’s vehicle.