What is Homelessness?

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Homelessness is described as the condition of people without a regular dwelling.  People who are homeless are unwilling or unable to acquire a safe shelter.  Homelessness may also include people whose primary night time residence is a homeless shelter.  “rooflessness (living rough), houselessness (relying on emergency accommodation or long-term institutions), or inadequate housing (including insecure accommodation, intolerable housing conditions or involuntary sharing)” (Edgar and others, 1999: 2). (Toepfer, 15).  “Social exclusion is also a major component of the concept of homelessness. The concept implies a lack of social ties and relations revealing social 16 Strategies to combat homelessness exclusion or marginalization (Edgar and others, 1999). (Toefer, 15)”.  “Homelessness carries implications of belonging nowhere rather than simply having nowhere to sleep.  Many homeless people occupy derelict buildings and shelters; they have shelter in terms of roof and walls. However, these shelters do not provide a home (Toepfer, 16)”.  Having no home is separate from having no shelter, there are lots of homeless shelters but they don’t really supply a place of your own.