homeless person
Person without shelter
A homeless person is someone without a permanent place to live—sleeping on streets, in shelters, in cars, or moving between temporary arrangements.
The term emerged as a more respectful alternative to older words like vagrant, bum, or hobo.
The city opened warming centers for homeless persons during the cold snap.
Some prefer "unhoused" or "person experiencing homelessness" to avoid defining someone by their housing status.
Temporary military or refugee settlement
- tent cityInformal settlement of temporary shelters
- cardboard shelterTemporary structure from paper-based material
- sleeping bagInsulated portable bedding
- soup kitchenFacility feeding the poor
food bank · panhandling · busking · dumpster diving · scavenging · foraging · makeshift · squatting
Extreme poverty, lacking necessities
- indigenceExtreme poverty, total want
- penuryExtreme lack of money
- impoverishmentState of extreme deprivation
- hardshipSuffering from difficult circumstances
unemployment · welfare · food stamps · disability · addiction · mental illness · debt · bankruptcy
Proactive community assistance
- shelterProtected place or structure
- transitional housingTemporary supported accommodation
- social servicesPublic aid programs
- mental health servicesTreatment for psychological conditions
rehabilitation · job training · food pantry · clothing donations · mobile clinic · drop-in center · hotline · voucher
Forced departure from rental
- refugeePerson fleeing danger abroad
- migrantOne who relocates
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- uprootedRemoved from foundation
dispossessed · exile · drifter · wanderer · nomad · relocation · banishment · deportation
Pushed to society's edges
- invisibleCannot be seen
- ignoredPurposely not noticed
- criminalizedMade unlawful by statute
- harassmentAggressive, unwanted targeting
loitering laws · sweep · discrimination · stereotype · dehumanization · public perception · media portrayal · compassion fatigue
State of being unprotected
- hypothermiaDangerously low body temperature
- frostbiteFreezing of body tissue
- heat strokeOverheating-caused medical crisis
- assaultViolent offensive act
theft · exploitation · trafficking · illness · infection · substance abuse · trauma · PTSD
encampment
Temporary military or refugee settlement
- tent cityInformal settlement of temporary shelters
- cardboard shelterTemporary structure from paper-based material
- sleeping bagInsulated portable bedding
soup kitchen · food bank · panhandling · busking · dumpster diving · scavenging · foraging · makeshift · squatting · rough sleeping
destitution
Extreme poverty, lacking necessities
- indigenceExtreme poverty, total want
- penuryExtreme lack of money
- impoverishmentState of extreme deprivation
hardship · unemployment · welfare · food stamps · disability · addiction · mental illness · debt · bankruptcy · foreclosure
outreach
Proactive community assistance
- shelterProtected place or structure
- transitional housingTemporary supported accommodation
- social servicesPublic aid programs
mental health services · rehabilitation · job training · food pantry · clothing donations · mobile clinic · drop-in center · hotline · voucher · benefits
eviction
Forced departure from rental
uprooted · dispossessed · exile · drifter · wanderer · nomad · relocation · banishment · deportation · expulsion
marginalized
Pushed to society's edges
- invisibleCannot be seen
- ignoredPurposely not noticed
- criminalizedMade unlawful by statute
harassment · loitering laws · sweep · discrimination · stereotype · dehumanization · public perception · media portrayal · compassion fatigue
exposure
State of being unprotected
- hypothermiaDangerously low body temperature
- frostbiteFreezing of body tissue
- heat strokeOverheating-caused medical crisis
assault · theft · exploitation · trafficking · illness · infection · substance abuse · trauma · PTSD · isolation
- shelter seekersrough sleeper, evacuee, refugee, fire victim, flood victim
- street peoplestreet vendor, street performer, street musician, busker, street artist
- walkerswalker, pedestrian, hiker, hikers, rambler
- foreignersforeigner, immigrant, immigrants, migrant, expats
- background extraspedestrian, bystander, sports fan, party guest, wedding guest
- occupantsoccupant, resident, tenant, dweller, inhabitant
homeless personhomeowner
Property title holder
householder · property owner · resident · tenant · homesteader
homeless personmillionaire
Person possessing great wealth
billionaire · aristocrat · plutocrat · tycoon · magnate
homeless personlocal
Of this area
townie · native · pillar of the community · householder · landed gentry
home, person, less, homeless, homes, homelessness, homed, unsheltered, rehome