What is the first image you envision when you hear the word “shelter?” Is it your own home? Is it a shelter for the community at large? Is it a temporary space or a permanent space? Does it cater to a diverse range of people, or a specific archetype? According to your internalized definition of a shelter, how does residing there impact a person? Conversely, what do you envision when you hear the word “unsheltered?” Some may think of stray pets, while others may envision people sleeping on streets. In my own conversations with others, the latter tends to be more common. Likewise, people tend to refer to these individuals as “homeless.” But what if I told you that there were different types of homelessness?
For many people experiencing homelessness, shelters are simply not an option. Hence, our society has developed a specific definition of “homelessness” by equating it to “unsheltered-ness.” However, I would like to challenge this assumption, for people with shelter can also be considered “homeless.” In some cases, they may be considered “housing-insecure.” To be quite honest, a person may fit within both definitions at the same time—there is no fine line between what it looks or feels like to be homeless or housing-insecure. Rather, it depends on one’s environment and what resources they do or do not have access to.
Let’s explore the concept of “sheltered” versus “unsheltered.” I define shelter as a place that is safe, livable, and consistent. In terms of safety, one is protected from inclimate weather, mental/physical abuse, or other environmental dangers. Livability, from my understanding, means having access to a restroom, clean/potable water, and electricity. Reliable shelter must be dependable. An individual should have confidence that they will reside in the same location with the same amenities for a period of time. Everyone may have their own definitions of “shelter,” but I prefer to use these parameters as the basic framework for this term. The Merriam Webster dictionary definition of shelter is as follows:
Shelter (noun)
shel·ter | \ ˈshel-tər \
something that covers or afford protection; an establishment providing food and shelter (as to the homeless); an establishment that houses and feeds stray or unwanted animals; a position or the state of being covered and protected
As we all know, access to homeless shelters is limited. Therefore, impacted individuals often take to the streets. Living in public spaces (i.e. streets, sidewalks, parks) would be considered unsheltered homelessness. This can occur when a shelter is not accessible, livable, safe, or consistent. Living in a homeless shelter, however, would be considered sheltered homelessness. Clearly, homlessness looks different for everyone at different stages of their life.
People who experience homelessness face individualized challenges, such as:
Access to basic necessities
Varying climate patterns
Other environmental challenges (safety, community resources, access to mental health resources)
Impacted individuals may live in tents, pavilions, or vehicles—which, by my definition, would not be considered shelter. Although these places provide literal cover, they are not shelters due to their lack of livability and resources. Furthermore, these spaces cannot sustain a human life over time.
I want to acknowledge the existence of sheltered homelessness, which aligns with housing insecurity. Housing insecurity is when a person does not have a stable shelter at any given moment in time. They may have access to a dorm room or someone’s sofa, but these spaces fail to accommodate the needs of an individual facing housing-insecurity. They come with a timeline and hidden costs (i.e. relationships, college housing fees). An example would be routinely sleeping somewhere that is livable but not ideal or consistent. Hence, although homelessness and housing-insecurity are not the same, they run tangentially to one another.
To some extent, individuals facing housing insecurity have access to livable shelter, whereas unsheltered homeless individuals do not. Those facing housing insecurity may have electricity, water, bathroom amenities, and climate protection. On the other hand, they may not have privacy, safety, or security. You can be both homeless and housing-insecure at the same time, or you could be one at a time. Regardless of how an impacted individual identifies, it is important to dismantle the stigma about homelessness and housing-insecurity. We often forget that there are different degrees of homelessness and housing insecurity, so we must understand that there is more than what meets the eye.