Human Rights and Homelessness

Homeless is the condition of being without a fixed, regular and adequate place to live. A person may be homeless because of a lack of affordable housing, discrimination, a family conflict or illness, or economic instability caused by layoffs, foreclosure or credit problems. Homeless people face a wide range of challenges, including poor nutrition, exposure to infectious diseases and physical and mental health issues. They have trouble accessing services, such as health care, job training and education. They have difficulty forming trusting relationships with service providers and other individuals, and often are mistreated, stigmatized, or even criminalized. Homelessness is a human rights issue that affects all individuals, regardless of age, gender, race or social status.

The number of homeless people has been rising in recent years, and many states have seen sharp increases. This trend is due to the soaring costs of housing, and policies that prevent communities from building enough affordable homes. In addition, rising inflation is making it harder for people on low incomes to afford the rent.

In the United States, most people experiencing homelessness live in urban areas, although some are displaced from rural and suburban areas by gentrification or by disasters, such as hurricanes and floods. A significant percentage of homeless people are elderly, youths, or individual adult women, and a large number have a serious mental illness. A few are also incarcerated or hospitalized, and many have substance abuse problems. Those who are chronically homeless, that is, they have been without a permanent place to live for more than one year, make up the largest segment of the homeless population.

While some homeless people are able to find jobs and move into new houses or apartments within a short period of time, others remain in a precarious situation. It is essential for States to ensure that all individuals have access to adequate and affordable housing, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes this right as an “inalienable” entitlement.

It is estimated that more than 100 million people worldwide are homeless. The vast majority are in urban areas, but there is an increasing incidence of homelessness in rural and suburban America, as well as other parts of the world. People who are homeless can be found in a variety of settings, including street corners and parks, abandoned buildings, or shelters. They may sleep in tents, cars, buses or train stations, or stay in friends’ or relatives’ homes.

The definition of homelessness has been revised in recent years to include more people, particularly those living in places not meant for human habitation, and to change how they are counted. This has improved the accuracy of point-in-time counts and may help to identify individuals who have been overlooked in the past. In addition, more information is available about subpopulations of the homeless, such as those who are in prison or hospital, those exiting an institution (such as a shelter) and those whose housing has been occupied by another person during their period of homelessness.