Art, obsession, and identity
Determining the exact number of people considered homeless is tricky, since there is no agreed-upon definition of "homeless." A 2017 study from Yale University estimated around 150 million people around the globe could be considered "homeless," while Habitat for Humanity conducted a study the year before that claimed 1.6 billion people possessed "inadequate shelter."
Homelessness is a surprisingly difficult word to define. Different nations and organizations around the world apply different conditions to the term.
This makes it hard, if not impossible, to compare the number of homeless individuals country to country, and even harder to agree upon a global number. By nature, taking a census of those without addresses, or often jobs, telephones, or sometimes even legal documentation, is a substantial added hurdle for those counting up the numbers.
Rural homelessness differs from other types of homelessness, commonly associated with cities, in that there are far fewer resources for the unhoused than in city centers. Those that find themselves unhoused in rural areas rarely have shelters to stay in, nor are there readily available food or healthcare options for the unemployed or unhoused.
One small help to gathering data regarding homelessness statistics is splitting the term into more specific conditions. Unsheltered homelessness, for example, is what most people think of when they imagine the state of being homelessness. This term refers to those who are forced to sleep on the street, in parks, abandoned buildings, or cars; essentially, places that are not equipped for human habitation.
Transitional homelessness is, thankfully, the most common form of homelessness. Transitional homelessness is usually triggered after a large event that pushes an already precarious housing situation over the edge. This can be an battle with addiction, a costly medical emergency, or the loss of a job. With the help of friends, families, or social services, those experiencing transitional homelessness are able to pull themselves out of homelessness in less than a year.
After a year of being unhoused, homelessness begins to be considered a chronic condition. A person's inability to find their way into a stable housing situation is usually caused by a primary chronic condition, such as unsupported mental illness, unchecked substance abuse, or a physical disability, which makes it virtually impossible to maintain employment or to be eligible for independent housing.
Homelessness can be caused by a variety of factors, and the leading causes can vary from area to area. The most common cause globally is, of course, poverty, but even poverty is a complex condition with many factors.
Episodic homelessness follows a pattern, oftentimes determined by work seasons or other factors. For example, those who work seasonal contract jobs, or other jobs with only intermittent availability, often find themselves without income for large parts of the year, leaving them unhoused when unemployed.
As wages remain the same, the cost of housing around the world has relentlessly driven up the cost of living. In some places in the United States, the average rent rose a staggering 14% between just 2021 and 2022.
The economy's constant fluctuation, which in most places around the world has trended towards incredible rises in costs of living over the past few decades, is often not met with appropriate adjustments in the wages received by people around the world. The minimum wage of many countries has fallen significantly below the cost of living, forcing many people onto the streets.
Unemployment remains a persistent problem around the world. Whether due to a poor distribution of jobs or a simple lack of jobs in general, unemployment can very quickly lead to homelessness.
Hidden homelessness can often overlap with other types of homelessness. It refers to those who have access to shelters, sleep in their cars, or are able to sleep on the couches of various friends and family members. These are the people struggling with homelessness that are rarely seen by the rest of the world.
For-profit healthcare and its inaccessibility to those in financially precarious situations has also remained a leading cause of homelessness. Large or unexpected health emergencies can cost tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in some places, and can easily force a person living paycheck to paycheck to find themselves unhoused.
A similar lack of accessible mental healthcare has a large effect on the number of unhoused people worldwide. Many people suffer from severe and unchecked conditions that make it impossible for them to keep a steady income or even seek help for themselves. Similarly, lack of support for those battling with substance abuse makes it easy for addictions to spiral out of control, often leading to homelessness, which has been shown to only exacerbate addiction.
Tragically, all of the factors just listed have a disproportionate effect on non-white people of color. Archaic, racist policies that have generational waves of effects on the class structures of many nations greatly contribute to the racial demographics of unhoused people.
Similarly, women are disproportionately affected by factors such as domestic violence and spousal abuse. Many women, especially those who find themselves responsible for the lion's share of caring for a child, find themselves unhoused after escaping an abusive household or relationship.
In the United States alone, 1.6 million youths who are considered homeless, making up as much as 40% of the total number of unhoused youth in the country, are part of the queer community. Many young people who identify as LGBTQ+ face violence or discrimination at home, as well as in school or the workplace, driving them onto the streets.
Destructive natural disasters like hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes, made more severe and more frequent by climate change, can force people of any class or level of affluence into homelessness in a matter of hours. After the devasting floods that ravaged Pakistan in the summer of 2022, for example, more than 500,000 people suddenly found themselves without a home.
Homelessness is dealt with in various ways around the world. Some nations, such as Finland and Japan, have dedicated themselves to ending or minimizing homelessness by implementing "housing first" programs that first provide unhoused individuals with somewhere to live, and then work with them to secure a stable income and any healthcare they might need in order to support themselves independently in the future. Other nations, however, are not as helpful.
Still others affected by events beyond their control leave their countries, either fleeing from violence or being forced to relocate by an occupying force. These unhoused refugees face a nearly impossible uphill battle in the often-hostile nations they're forced into with little to no support.
Many countries, like the United States, adopt policies that punish homelessness rather than aim to fix it. Whether this stems from the criminalization of substance abuse, rather than the treatment of it, or the overextension of anti-loitering laws, these harmful policies do little more than harm people and make it even more difficult to escape homelessness.
Social discrimination against the unhoused has been documented around the world for centuries, and this in many cases leads to violence against individuals forced to live on the street.
Natural disasters and armed conflict can also force people to leave their homes behind in search of a better, safer life. Families and individuals may find themselves internally displaced without the means to leave the country or the shelter to remain, leaving them homeless and in perpetual transit.
Common police violence against unhoused people is a horrifically common occurrence in certain places such as France and the United States, where homeless and migrant encampments are forcefully raided and torn down on a regular basis. Physical violence against the homeless has been heavily documented in California, while reports of riot police slashing the roofs of tents have come from various cities across France.
In places like the United States, homelessness is effectively criminalized by laws that ban individuals from sleeping in cars overnight or pitching tents on public land. These policies make a difficult situation even harder when people who are already struggling with homelessness must also live in fear of legal punishment.
Violent and militarized conflict is accountable for a large portion of the world's homeless population. For example, the conflict in Ukraine that began in February 2022 had left more than 3.4 million Ukrainians homeless as of August of the same year, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Climate change has had a devastating effect on homelessness rates around the world. Apart from an increase in the severity and frequency of natural disasters that can tear through populated areas, destroying countless homes in a short period of time, it also makes the condition of houselessness much more dangerous. In the summer of 2018, the oppressive and inescapable heat of Maricopa County, Arizona, took the lives of 47 unhoused individuals.
The most work that can be done to fight homelessness is at the governmental level. Voting in local elections and participating in town hall meetings are a great way to start helping the homeless in your own community. Cash donations or donations of food, clothing, and other resources are also great ways to help your local shelters. But the most important work that you can do is not only free but also something you can do every day: destigmatize being unhoused, and raise awareness for the work that has to be done to help the unhoused members of our community, both locally and globally.
Sources: (Human Rights Careers) (Red Nose Day) (Breaktime)
See also: The world's most densely populated country (it's not China)
Homelessness has been a problem around the world for hundreds upon hundreds of years, and while it has been successfully fought in some countries, it remains a pressing issue in many parts of the world. Lack of government intervention, social stigma, and the countless effects of homelessness that can turn into a vicious and unbreakable cycle all contribute to the persistent struggle of millions of people. Homelessness is rarely as talked about as it should be, which is a significant reason why these issues persist. Many aspects of being unhoused aren't widely known or understood, only further alienating those who are struggling.
Exemplifying this point is the new law that came into effect in Florida on October 1, 2024. The state's homeless population is now banned from sleeping in public, meaning they can no longer spend the night on sidewalks, in parks, or any other public spaces. It's estimated that there are 31,000 unhoused people currently living in Florida, although experts suggest this number is likely underreported. While the state allocated a budget of US$30 million to help its cities and counties provide housing solutions, this is likely insufficient. The bill was signed into law by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in March with overwhelming support from the Florida Legislature, but its critics are also significant in number. "Homelessness is not a crime, and the county jail system is not a solution," commented Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony. Jacob Torner, vice president of the TaskForce Fore Ending Homelessness, said, "The impacts of this law are going to make it more difficult for these individuals to engage in the services that will get them off the streets because they'll become more fearful."
Read on to learn about the world's homelessness crisis, what contributes to it, and what can be done to fix it.
The causes, effects, and solutions to the global homelessness crisis
The situation grows more dire with the worsening economic climate
LIFESTYLE Human rights
Homelessness has been a problem around the world for hundreds upon hundreds of years. And while it has been successfully fought in some countries, it remains a pressing issue in many parts of the world. Lack of government intervention, social stigma, and the countless effects of homelessness that can turn into a vicious and unbreakable cycle all contribute to the persistent struggle of millions of people. Homelessness is rarely as talked about as it should be, which is a significant reason why these issues persist. Many aspects of being unhoused aren't widely known or understood, only further alienating those who are struggling.Exemplifying this point is the new law that came into effect in Florida on October 1, 2024. The state's homeless population is now banned from sleeping in public, meaning they can no longer spend the night on sidewalks, in parks, or any other public spaces. It's estimated that there are 31,000 unhoused people currently living in Florida, although experts suggest this number is likely underreported. While the state allocated a budget of US$30 million to help its cities and counties provide housing solutions, this is likely insufficient. The bill was signed into law by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in March with overwhelming support from the Florida Legislature, but its critics are also significant in number. "Homelessness is not a crime, and the county jail system is not a solution," commented Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony. Jacob Torner, vice president of the TaskForce Fore Ending Homelessness, said, "The impacts of this law are going to make it more difficult for these individuals to engage in the services that will get them off the streets because they'll become more fearful." Read on to learn about the world's homelessness crisis, what contributes to it, and what can be done to fix it.