The Definition and Impact of Homelessness
Homeless people have a range of unique, complex and often co-occurring issues that make it extremely challenging to generate income, keep safe, nurture healthy relationships and find stable housing. Homelessness also impacts women, children, indigenous peoples and youth in disproportionately higher rates than other groups. The issue is particularly serious among low-income communities and individuals with disabilities or health conditions, including mental illness.
Homelessness is a significant human rights issue that is not adequately addressed by States, which have international obligations to do so. The lack of affordable housing and the resulting housing instability can lead to various forms of discrimination against homeless persons, such as preventing them from voting or accessing social benefits, and is also related to a wide range of other human rights concerns, including poverty, violence, forced evictions, inadequate food security and malnutrition.
The concept of homelessness has a long history and a broad scholarly literature, with an increasing body of research focusing on specific subpopulations. This includes a growing understanding of the role that family and community dynamics, as well as individual-level factors, play in the homelessness experience. There is also a growing understanding of the relationship between homelessness and poverty in different regions, and the importance of local and regional housing market dynamics.
One important piece of evidence regarding the scope and impact of homelessness is a “point-in-time” count, which is the official snapshot of a city’s homeless population on a single night in January. It is required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for organizations that receive federal assistance, and it provides a valuable tool for measuring progress towards reducing homelessness.
The definition of homelessness in the United States currently focuses on people who are without a permanent and sustainable residence, which means they are living in a place not meant for human habitation (including motel rooms or hotels, rooming houses, or doubled up with friends), in emergency shelters, transitional housing or in “unsheltered” places (such as under bridges, on street corners, or in parks). The most recent change to HUD’s homeless definition is that it now also allows people who have been displaced from their primary nighttime residence within 14 days to be considered homeless.
The definition of homelessness in the United States needs to be further expanded to include a right to affordable, decent and accessible housing that is accessible to people with disabilities or other needs. This right is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is also a core element of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Until this right is guaranteed, the overall level of homelessness in the country will continue to increase. This will have devastating consequences for people with disabilities, youth, the elderly, women and indigenous peoples in particular. This is a moral imperative that must be urgently addressed.