There are a variety of terms for specific types of persons who are homeless, and a variety of persons who fit that term. It is essential the reader understand there are many types of homeless people—and that it is a condition, not a lifestyle. To begin, it is good to look at a basic definition of homeless: “having no home or permanent place of residence” (Homeless Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster).
Wikipedia expands that basic definition by adding the following: “the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. The definition of homelessness differs from country to country, with some countries yet to have any definition in place. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:
· living on the streets;
· moving between temporary shelters, including houses of friends, family, and emergency accommodation; and
· living in private boarding houses without a private bathroom or security of tenure;
· have no permanent house or place to live safely (Homelessness - Wikipedia).
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, adds conditions and makes the definition more specific. HUD bases homelessness “on four categories under which individuals and families may qualify as homeless. These categories include: 1) Literally Homeless; 2) imminent risk of homelessness; 3) Homeless under Other Federal Statues; and 4) fleeing/attempting to flee domestic violence’ (https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/1974/criteria-and-recordkeeping-requirements-for-definition-of-homeless/).
To qualify for immediate emergency housing, categories 1, 3, and 4 come into play.
The first category, Literally Homeless is explained as follows: “(1) Individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning: (i) Has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not meant for human habitation; (ii) Is living in a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state and local government programs); or (iii) Is exiting an institution where (s)he has resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution” (https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/HomelessDefinition_RecordkeepingRequirementsandCriteria.pdf).
Examples of situations NOT making a person Literally Homeless are: sleeping at your parents’ house, visiting relatives or friends and staying in a guest room or doubling up in a room with a cousin, staying in a hotel for an extended time, or being involved in what is called “couch-surging” or staying on some friends’ sofa and making use of their bathroom, kitchen, and/or other conveniences.
The third category, “Homeless under Other Federal Statues,” refers to such persons as unaccompanied persons under 25 years of age. Details on that are provided also (https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/HomelessDefinition_RecordkeepingRequirementsandCriteria.pdf).
The fourth category, fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence is explained further as “(4) Any individual or family who: (i) Is fleeing, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence; (ii) Has no other residence; and (iii) Lacks the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing” (https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/HomelessDefinition_RecordkeepingRequirementsandCriteria.pdf).
There are very specific requirements for documenting homeless status and for keeping a record of that status in order to prove an individual is eligible for services. If in doubt, a homeless person, community member, or family member can contact social workers in agencies offering assistance on finding housing and other needs. For Illinois, names and contact information on individuals and agencies can be found on the HUD website (Homeless Information: Illinois | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)).
For other states, please see: State Information | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Unfortunately, even though there are some good resources for helping the homeless, there are also many myths surrounding the world of the homeless. Understanding more about their world can perhaps help others understand people in that condition.
There seems to be a big split between the world of the homeless and the world of the “rich” or people who live indoors with all sorts of amenities that make dwellings seem to be part of a distant and different world (Understand Homelessness |). Such possessions of the rich are: hot water, refrigerators for keeping leftovers, microwaves for warming and re-warming snacks and meals, plus safe places to keep important papers, medications, dry shoes and socks, other clothing, and a long list of other health and safety-related items, from bandages to hand lotion and from aspirin to anti-bacterial spray.
One myth that needs to be addressed right away is that homeless people actually want to live outdoors or that they hate housing, somehow. It is perhaps because of this myth that Chicago Alderman James Cappelman actually mentioned in May, 2021, some homeless did not seem to want housing when offered. Perhaps this uninformed comment was also born partly of his frustration in fact that persons offered a place to live turned it down. However, Cappelman’s comment drew a strong response from Patricia Nix-Hodes, Director of the Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, who insisted, “People experiencing homelessness want and need permanent housing. It is simply false to claim otherwise…” (https://chi.streetsblog.org/2021/05/28/ald-cappleman-discusses-46th-ward-walk-bike-projects-and-the-lsd-viaduct-issue/).
So what are some of the different persons living in the condition known as “homeless?” The first clear type is the Temporary Homeless individual or family. In this case, losing a job or getting a reduction in hours eventually gets the person evicted—or they may themselves realize they can no longer afford their rent or mortgage. They sometimes abandon their dwelling, and in so doing, they are on their way to saving up money for their next lease.
There are some that argue homelessness is temporary by nature. Dame Sheila McKenie, who started a company—SMK—and a movement to help the non-housed, states clearly: “People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes’ (About | Understand Homelessness).
Long-Term Homeless is a term used to indicate more than a year of living in non-traditional settings, such as a park. Wilder Research of St. Paul Minnesota used the term Long-Term Homeless in their 2012 statewide study. The results of the study explains that the term “includes a person of any age and any family configuration who has been homeless for a year or longer in the current episode, or homeless at least four times in the past three years, and at the time of the interview was staying: § In an emergency shelter, battered women’s shelter, or in a place not part of any formal shelter program, or § In a transitional housing program, and had a mental illness, substance abuse disorder, or chronic health condition for which they reported they had not received treatment within the past 12 months” (https://www.wilder.org/sites/default/files/imports/2012_LongTermHomeless_Factsheet_5-13.pdf). That report identified 2,600 adults and unaccompanied young people who they considered to be long-term homeless persons.
Chronic Homeless is a term used by federal agencies in assessing individuals for longer-term, serious intervention. HUD has adopted the following “federal definition which defines a chronically homeless person as ‘either (1) an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for a year or more, OR (2) an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition who has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.’ This definition is adopted by HUD from a federal standard that was arrived upon through collective decision making by a team of federal agencies…” (https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/DefiningChronicHomeless.pdf). Further, “a disabling condition is defined as ‘a diagnosable substance abuse disorder, a serious mental illness, developmental disability, or chronic physical illness or disability, including the co-occurrence of two or more of these conditions.’ “
The reader is reminded that Chronic Homelessness is more difficult to treat—and that it requires permanent supportive housing. In addition, “People experiencing chronic homelessness typically have complex and long-term health conditions, such as mental illness, substance use disorders, physical disabilities, or other medical conditions. Once they become homeless — regardless of what immediately caused them to lose their housing — it is difficult for them to get back into housing and they can face long or repeated episodes of homelessness” (https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/who-experiences-homelessness/chronically-homeless/). Chronic Homeless persons are the ones often profiled in fundraising efforts and public service announcements because they present with so very many different needs for resources, from healthcare intervention to assistance with financial and dietary programs.
Hardcore Homeless is a term the author uses for a certain type of individual or group using homeless encampments, resources, and benefits for personal gain. Usually the goal is to criminally or unfairly tap resources meant for persons more deserving of assistance. Hardcore Homeless persons take advantage of people contributing money, food, cigarettes, rides, and showers—with no intent of repaying or thanking the donor and with no plan to achieve goals through use of the benefits. Homeless Hardcore persons are something like “crooks” who prey on the homeless and ruin their liaisons in a given community.
Homeless Hardcore persons often take away resources needed by others, may threaten persons who are actually homeless and in need of those resources, and tend to damage agreements and settings for the homeless. An example is, a Hardcore Homeless person becoming a nuisance in a neighborhood such that when a more deserving person arrives, the generosity of donors has been dampened by the “crook” who gets the food or money or clothing needed. Homeless Hardcore persons may also sell drugs, do a great deal of shoplifting—and then sell the booty—and be involved in schemes, scams, prostitution, and violence.
The reader is reminded how complicated the world of the homeless really is. The first page of the SMK website reminds us “The issue of modern homelessness is broad and complex, affecting too many of our neighbors and communities” (Understand Homelessness |). The key seems to be “understanding.”
The more understanding, the more solutions possible.