Definitions of Homelessness

Nationally, as well as in Durham, homelessness is not an easy topic to discuss. Not only is the term "homeless" stigmatized, but it is difficult to identify who is being discussed when someone refers to "the homeless." Homelessness has many definitions and brings many different images to mind. The difficulty in defining homelessness stems from various factors, the most significant being that, for most people, homelessness is a temporary circumstance, rather than a permanent condition (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1989). People who lack a permanent place to stay and are forced to live with relatives and friends, for example, may experience the extreme poverty associated with homelessness, but they are not usually counted in prevalence estimates or point-in-time counts because they are not staying at a shelter or using other services designed for the homeless (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1989).

Definitions of Homelessness

The definition most commonly applied to determine whether someone is homeless is the lack of "regular and customary access to a conventional dwelling unit" (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1989). Because of the cyclical nature of homelessness for many, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty has suggested a three-part definition for homelessness:

Transitionally homeless: a single episode of homelessness lasting an average of 58 days;
Episodically homeless: four to five episodes of homelessness lasting a total of 265 days;
Chronically homeless: an average of two episodes, lasting a total of 650 days
(National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2001)

The definition of homelessness cited by the federal Department of Health and Human Services includes a clause that people who are at imminent risk of losing their housing, either because they are being evicted from private dwelling units or are being discharged from institutions and have nowhere else to go, are usually considered to be homeless for program eligibility purposes (Interagency Council on the Homeless, 1994).

In this AOCD project, the students avoided using a strict definition for "homeless." Instead, they tried to learn about the range of challenging situations faced by low-income community members in North East Central Durham. The details of how they identified and recruited homeless community members for inclusion in the project will be described in Section Two of this document.

In assessing the scope of homelessness, the National Coalition for the Homeless suggests that the most appropriate measure is not: "How many people are homeless?" but, rather: "How many people experience homelessness?" in order to accurately reflect the cyclical, often temporary nature of homelessness. Regardless of the definition used, however, it is not an easy question to answer. National estimates of homelessness vary considerably, but there are several widely used statistics:

  1. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty estimates that over two million people were homeless over the past year and that over 700,000 people are homeless on any given night (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2001)
  2. A widely cited, point-in-time count from a single week in 1988 estimated that approximately 500,000-600,000 homeless people were in shelters, eating in soup kitchens, or congregating on the street (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1989).
  3. The Clinton Administration's project - "Priority Home! The Federal Plan to Break the Cycle of Homelessness" - used data from a 1990 national telephone survey designed to identify formerly homeless people. The project estimated that between 4.95 and 9.32 million people (with a mid-point of 7 million) experienced homelessness between 1985 and 1990 (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1989).
  4. A study of turnover rates in shelters in New York City and Philadelphia found that 3% of the cities' populations used the public shelter system between 1990 and 1992. A second study compared these rates to data in seven other jurisdictions and found that the data fell well within the range of data from other regions of the country (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1989).

While research on the size of the homeless population is lacking, several national cross-sectional studies have been conducted that provide an overview of the socio-demographics of homeless people in the U.S. According to the federal Department of Health and Human Services, "single, unattached males, unaccompanied by children, make up about three-quarters of homeless persons nationally. Men outnumber women by a factor of five. Families with children, more than 80 percent of whom are headed by a single mother, make up another fifth. The remaining persons are adults in couples or other groupings. Some communities have a substantial number of homeless young adults and adolescents, but they are rarely included in standard studies. National estimates of this group range from 1.3 to 1.6 million homeless youth annually" (Interagency Council on the Homeless, 1994). Minorities are disproportionately represented among the homeless population, especially among homeless families (Interagency Council on the Homeless, 1994).

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