Homelessness, Patterns of

Defining Homelessness

To the casual observer, it would appear that defining homelessness would be an easy task. However, this is not the case. Different definitions are used by advocates for the homeless, policymakers, and researchers. Complicating the definition are the duration of homelessness required (should a person homeless for one night be included?), the specific quality of housing (should a person living in grossly substandard housing be included?), and crowding (should someone temporarily doubled up with family or friends be included?). Most researchers have settled these issues by studying the “literally homeless,” that is, people staying in shelters for the homeless, on the streets, or in other similar settings (e.g., in abandoned buildings, in makeshift structures, or in parks). There are many other persons who are precariously housed or at imminent risk for becoming homeless. Researchers may include such persons, but will define them as a group separate from the literally homeless. Many researchers and advocates now talk about homelessness in the context of a continuum of housing that runs from the stably housed [Page 245]to the literally homeless, with many persons falling between these two extremes.

The Three Major Homeless Groups

Before proceeding with any research-oriented description of the homeless, it is important to distinguish three key subgroups in the overall homeless population: homeless families, homeless adolescents, and homeless single adults. These three subgroups are generally distinct on many dimensions, including their patterns of homelessness. In most cities in the United States (as well as in other developed nations), homeless families rarely include children of age ten or over and children under age twelve are very rarely found homeless on their own. Largely distinct service systems and research literatures have developed for each of these three subgroups, and recent research has documented many of the ways they differ from each other.

Homeless families typically include a single young mother with young children (often under age five). These families end up homeless for a variety of reasons, including extreme poverty, loss of benefits, eviction, domestic violence, or their own personal problems (e.g., substance abuse). Homeless families often include multiple siblings. Unlike single homeless adults and, to some extent, homeless adolescents, homeless families are rarely found on the streets. Rather, they tend to be found in homeless shelters, often ones specially designed for families. Many can also be found temporarily doubled up with friends or family or in domestic violence shelters (these families are sometimes referred to as the “precariously housed”). Few traditional families made up of couples with their children are found among the homeless. African-Americans and some other ethnic minorities (e.g., Native Americans) are found disproportionately.

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