Homelessness, Definitions and Estimates of

Definitions and counts or estimates of a phenomenon are inextricably intertwined. One cannot count something—widgets, for instance—if one cannot tell whether an object is or is not a widget. In other words, the first problem that arises when trying to count “homeless people” is that defining the term is [Page 234]extremely difficult, both in the abstract and in the practical methods of social research. Further, definitions of a phenomenon such as homelessness usually embody one or more social purposes. They are not neutral, but rather are constructed to influence public concern and action. Thus they are “programmatic.” They may be trying to make a phenomenon visible, to get it defined as a problem and therefore worthy of intervention and amelioration, or to do the opposite. They may be trying to limit, or to expand, the scope of action expected or demanded. Or they may be trying to influence the value placed on one way of life in comparison to others.

Yet definitions are essential. From the perspective of immediate action, definitions identify who is eligible to receive whatever assistance is available specifically for homeless people. From a research perspective, definitions are necessary to identify who should be counted and described. And from a policy perspective, definitions are necessary to identify who should be planned for and what types of assistance they will need. The problem is, each of these purposes may require that homelessness be defined and measured in a different way. For this reason, the most useful research methods do not rely on a single definition of homelessness, but collect enough information about housing situations to allow analysts to construct samples based on different definitions for different purposes.

This entry looks first at the rather simple definition of homelessness used to allocate federal funding and at national estimates of the size of the homeless population based on that definition. It then discusses several issues surrounding definitions of homelessness and examines the issues involved in selecting various methods for obtaining estimates of population size.