homelessness

(noun)

The condition of a person or persons living without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are most often unable to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing.

Related Terms

  • Medicaid
  • deinstitutionalization

Examples of homelessness in the following topics:

  • Homelessness

    • Homeless people are those who lack a regular, adequate residence.
    • Although most homeless people are single men, in tough economic times, families are at increased risk of homelessness due to unemployment.
    • In the United States, 23 percent of homeless people are families with children—the fastest growing segment of the homeless, due largely to the economic collapse in 2008.
    • Social stigma also contributes to homelessness.
    • Rather than stigmatizing or criminalizing homeless individuals, a long-term approach to combat homelessness must focus on meeting the needs of the homeless.
  • Hooverville

    • Homelessness exploded during the Great Depression resulting in the massive outgrowth of shanty towns, called in that period ‘Hoovervilles'.
    • "Hooverville" was the popular name for shanty towns built by homeless people during the Great Depression.
    • Homelessness was present before the Great Depression, with homeless people being a fairly common sight in the 1920s.
    • Homeless people formed settlements on empty land which generally consisted of tents and small shacks.
    • Notable Hoovervilles were in Central Park and Riverside Park in New York City, where scores of homeless families camped out.
  • The Poor, the Homeless, and the Victims of AIDS

    • Churches, public libraries, and atria became stricter as the homeless population grew larger.
    • All of these strategies together effectively criminalized homelessness in many areas around the country.
    • The homeless population was banished to sidewalks, parks, under bridges, and subway and railroad tunnels.
    • By the mid-1980s, there was also a dramatic increase in family homelessness.
    • Finally in 1987, President Reagan signed into law the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
  • The Human Toll

    • The Great Depression caused widespread homelessness and illness, fueled discrimination, and increased migrant labor.
    • The sudden, catastrophic economic downturn that followed the Wall Street Crash of 1929 caused widespread homelessness, poor health and early deaths, and the creation of shantytowns in urban areas.
    • The increase in homelessness, due to sudden unemployment and inability to pay rent, concentrated thousands of Americans in squalid, urban settlements throughout the nation.
    • Soup kitchens, invented by Benjamin Thompson and run by volunteers, gave free food to homeless Americans, who often received their only daily meal from these establishments.
    • Over 350 houses had to be torn down after one storm alone and more than 500,000 Americans were left homeless.
  • Education Policy

    • Aligned with this mission of ensuring equal access to education, the Department of Education is a member of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and works with federal partners to ensure proper education for homeless and runaway youth in the United States.
  • The Dynamics of Poverty

    • Finally, poverty increases the risk of homelessness.
    • People who are homeless or live in slums have low access to neighborhood resources, high status social contacts, or basic services such as a phone line.
  • Deviance and Social Stigma

    • Homeless people are regularly stigmatized by society for being unemployed while living in the streets.
  • Sociological Perspectives on Urban Life

    • Along with this expansion came many of the era's emerging social problems, ranging from issues of homelessness and poor living conditions to the low-wage and long-hour work periods that many European immigrants faced upon arrival in the city.
    • Subcultural theories popularized the idea that segments of society, such as gangs and homeless populations, had internal systems of value and order.
  • Defining Unemployment

    • Unemployment can lead to homelessness, illness, and mental stress.
  • How Well Do Probability Methods Work?

    • For example, if we chose a sample from a list of households, we will miss those who are homeless, in prison, or living in a college dorm.
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