There is no globally agreed definition of homelessness, and even within countries the topic can be contentious. We know we can’t measure and solve a problem we can’t define, so developing a shared language on homelessness is a top priority. This is the first step toward informed, focused and measurable action to ending homelessness.
There is a lack of urgency and high-level prioritization to end homelessness on local, national and international levels. Homelessness is coming to the forefront at the United Nations, thanks in large part to work by DePaul’s Institute of Global Homelessness and its partners, who have been advocating for the U.N. to address the issue in a more prominent way. The 58th Session of the Commission for Social Development (February 2020) priority theme was affordable housing and social protection systems for all to address homelessness
There is a lack of global agencies with the time, expertise, and resources to consistently and effectively respond to the needs of regional and local leaders and track progress. IGH is the first organization to focus on homelessness as a global phenomenon with an emphasis on those who are living on the street or in emergency shelters.
Homelessness is an urgent, shared and solvable problem. Street homelessness affects people in every region of the world — developed and developing — and in the absence of coordinated action globally it is growing. We know that homelessness is solvable because we have seen communities around the world solve it, through a combination of strategy, planning, and political will.
In any form, homelessness happens because people cannot access the housing and supports they need. The immediate cause is often an exogenous shock, such as a health crisis, unexpected lack of employment, or abrupt housing loss due to eviction or domestic violence. But socio-structural factors make certain people especially vulnerable, and gaps in the social safety net and homelessness services systems can extend homelessness or make it more difficult to remain housed.
Although the specifics of who is the most vulnerable tend to change depending on local contexts and socio-economic factors, by and large, already-marginalized populations will be the ones who are most at risk. Globally, certain patterns of homelessness emerge along lines of class, race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, disability, and age; in addition, there is a complex relationship between homelessness and conflict, which can create populations of people are displaced or stateless, while climate change has increasingly prompted higher migration rates from vulnerable areas.
Substance Use and Homelessness
Substance use in its many forms can be both a cause and a result of homelessness. These behaviors may emerge as coping mechanisms, but often make it harder for people to return to housing. Studies have shown that homeless populations are highly vulnerable to addiction, be it substance use or other behaviors such as problem gambling, with that vulnerability increasing for chronically homeless populations.
Living on the streets contributes to rapid health deterioration, increased hospitalization, and, in some cases, death. For vulnerable subgroups, such as street youth, people with mental illness, young women, and the elderly, the risk of mortality when compared to the housed population can be especially high.
People living with mental health problems and disorders are more susceptible to three key factors that can lead to homelessness: poverty, disaffiliation, and personal vulnerability. Certain disorders can limit individuals' capacity to sustain employment, and as a result they have very little income. Behavioral issues may lead them to withdraw from friends, family and other people, creating a vacuum of support and fewer coping resources in times of trouble. Mental illness can also impair a person’s ability to be resilient and resourceful; it can cloud thinking and impair judgment. For all these reasons, people with mental illness are at greater risk of experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness is a global challenge. The United Nations Human Settlements Program estimates that 1.1 billion people live in inadequate housing, and the best data available suggest that more than 100 million people have no housing at all.
Complex problems like homelessness do not have a set of technical instructions; instead, their solutions lie with leaders’ ability to learn and adapt. This requires localized systems planning and homelessness strategy that can connect systems of care as well as ensure that all organizations and departments addressing homelessness are working together.
The extent to which countries organize work around ending homelessness varies. However, the support of national policies and federal funding allow local actors to improve service delivery systems, strengthen data management systems, and broaden continuums of care.
The best outcome for an individual or family is never to experience homelessness at all. Prevention programs can span a variety of preventative methods, including policies, practices, and interventions that reduce the likelihood that someone will experience homelessness.
Expertise from Lived Experience
It is vital that work concerning the welfare of people experiencing homelessness includes significant input and guidance from those who have lived experience of the issue. They are intimately familiar with many of the issues and hold valuable perspectives about how to tackle them.
Housing policy refers to the actions of government, including legislation and program delivery, which have a direct or indirect impact on housing supply and availability, housing standards and urban planning.
There is no single solution to homelessness, but there are models we know work, and it would be a waste of time and resources for leaders to tackle homelessness without drawing on lessons from countries and cities that have already done so effectively. Success includes naming a clear, measurable target and building a system whose long-term purpose is to end, rather than manage, homelessness.
Responding to Vulnerable Groups
Some groups are more susceptible to episodes of homelessness than others, and often require unique or targeted interventions. These programs and policies must be culturally adept, or risk clients leaving the program and returning to the street.
Many of the structural factors that cause homelessness are not easy to solve outright, often requiring high-level strategies for addressing homelessness across a system that typically include: a well-coordinated system that plans for outcomes; a citywide strategy that weaves together prevention, emergency response, and housing and supports; and resources to support this work and to provide an adequate supply of safe, affordable accommodation.