Words carry weight. Seriously. When you hear the word "homeless," what’s the first image that pops into your head? For a lot of folks, it’s a guy on a street corner with a cardboard sign. It’s a stereotype. It’s a box we put people in. But language is changing because the reality of not having a place to live is way more complicated than one word can capture. People are looking for a better word for homeless because the old label feels like a dead end. It defines a person by their crisis rather than their humanity.
You’ve probably seen the shifts happening in news reports or city council meetings. Maybe you've heard the term "unhoused." Or "people experiencing homelessness." It might feel like "political correctness" run amok to some, but there’s a deeper psychological reason for the change. It’s about "person-first" language. If you call someone a "homeless person," the adjective "homeless" becomes their entire identity. If you say "person experiencing homelessness," you’re acknowledging that the situation is temporary—or at least, it’s something happening to them, not who they are.
Why "Unhoused" is Often the Preferred Better Word for Homeless
The term unhoused has gained massive traction in the last few years, especially in West Coast hubs like Los Angeles and Seattle. Why? Because "home" and "house" aren't the same thing.
A person can have a "home" in a community, a tent, or a vehicle. They have a sense of belonging, a social network, and a place where they exist. What they lack is the physical structure—the house. Using "unhoused" or "unsheltered" points the finger at the systemic issue: a lack of affordable housing. It shifts the focus from a personal moral failing to a societal infrastructure failure.
Nan Roman, the former CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, has often emphasized that homelessness is a result of a gap between income and housing costs. When we use the term "unhoused," we are highlighting that specific gap.
But it’s not just about one word.
Different contexts require different labels. If someone is couch-surfing, they aren't "unsheltered" in the way someone under a bridge is. They are "precariously housed" or "doubled up." These nuances matter for policy. If a school district uses the term "homeless," they might miss the kid sleeping in a van who desperately needs resources but doesn't fit the "living on the street" mold.
🔗 Read more: Pink White Nail Studio Secrets and Why Your Manicure Isn't Lasting
The Evolution of Identity and Stigma
We used to say "tramp" or "bum." In the Great Depression, "hobo" was common. Those words are now considered slurs. They were used to dehumanize people who were victims of a collapsing economy.
Today, the push for a better word for homeless follows that same historical arc.
Consider the term "displaced." In international contexts, we use "internally displaced persons" (IDPs) for people fleeing war or natural disasters. When a hurricane hits Florida and wipes out a trailer park, we call the residents "displaced." We feel immense empathy for them. But when an eviction notice hits because the rent doubled, we call them "homeless." The stigma is different, even though the result—having no bed—is the same.
The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook, which is basically the bible for journalists, updated its guidelines a while back. They suggest avoiding "the homeless" as a collective noun. It’s too dehumanizing. It lumps millions of unique stories into one giant, faceless mass. Instead, they recommend "people without housing" or "people experiencing homelessness."
It’s clunkier. It takes longer to type. But it’s more accurate.
When "Better" Isn't Always Better: The Critique of Euphemisms
Not everyone is a fan of the new terminology. Some advocates and even people living on the streets feel that "unhoused" is just a "sanitized" version of a brutal reality.
💡 You might also like: Hairstyles for women over 50 with round faces: What your stylist isn't telling you
There's a fear that by making the language softer, we make the problem feel less urgent. If we call it "housing insecurity," does it sound less like a life-or-death crisis? Some argue that the word "homeless" has a certain "grit" that demands action. They worry that focusing on the better word for homeless is just a way for housed people to feel better about themselves without actually building more shelters or passing rent control.
I’ve talked to folks living in encampments who say, "Call me whatever you want, just get me a bathroom and a door that locks." To them, the linguistic debate is a luxury.
However, studies in linguistic relativity—the idea that the language we use influences how we think—suggest otherwise. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Counseling & Development found that counselors-in-training showed less empathy toward "the homeless" than they did toward "people experiencing homelessness." The words we choose literally prime our brains to be more or less compassionate.
Specific Terms for Specific Situations
If you’re looking for the right word to use in a professional setting, a blog post, or a community meeting, you have to look at the specific situation. One size doesn't fit all here.
- Housing Insecure: This describes people who have a roof over their heads today but might not tomorrow. They’re one paycheck away from the street.
- Rough Sleepers: This is a very common term in the UK and Australia. It specifically refers to people sleeping outside in the elements.
- Transient: Honestly? This one is falling out of favor. It implies someone is just "passing through" or doesn't want to settle down, which is rarely the case for someone stuck in the cycle of poverty.
- Justice-Involved Individuals experiencing housing loss: A mouthful, sure, but it identifies a specific group—people coming out of prison who are barred from most apartments.
- Sofa Surfers: People, often youth, who are bouncing between friends' apartments. They are technically "homeless," but their needs are very different from someone in a long-term encampment.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has very strict definitions. They categorize people into four "runs" of homelessness. If you’re writing a grant or working in government, you have to use their language. But in everyday life? We can afford to be more human.
How to Change Your Own Vocabulary Without Feeling Weird
It feels a bit "clinical" at first to say "person experiencing homelessness." It doesn't roll off the tongue. But you get used to it.
📖 Related: How to Sign Someone Up for Scientology: What Actually Happens and What You Need to Know
Start by catching yourself when you use "the homeless" as a blanket group. Instead of saying "The homeless are taking over the park," try "There are a lot of unhoused people camping in the park." It sounds small, but it changes the tone from a "pest control" vibe to a "human crisis" vibe.
Also, look at the "why." If you’re talking about a veteran, call them a "homeless veteran." If you’re talking about a family, call them a "family in transition." Adding that extra layer of detail reminds everyone involved that there is a story behind the situation.
The search for a better word for homeless isn't about being "woke." It's about precision. We are currently facing a massive housing shortage in the US—estimates suggest we are short about 4 to 7 million homes. When the problem is that big, we need language that reflects the systemic nature of the issue.
Actionable Steps for Using More Empathetic Language
If you want to move away from outdated or stigmatizing terms, follow these practical guidelines.
- Prioritize the person. Always place the individual before the condition. Use "person who is..." rather than a label.
- Be specific about the environment. If someone is in a shelter, say "shelter resident." If they are on the street, "unsheltered" is the most accurate technical term.
- Avoid "at-risk" if you mean "threatened by." "At-risk" can feel condescending. "People vulnerable to displacement" is often more descriptive of the actual economic pressure they face.
- Listen to the community. If you are volunteering or working directly with people, listen to how they describe themselves. Some people reclaim the word "homeless" as a badge of survival. Respect that.
- Focus on the barrier. Instead of saying "the homeless problem," try "the lack of affordable housing" or "the homelessness crisis." This puts the emphasis on the thing that needs to be fixed, not the people who are suffering.
The goal isn't to find a "perfect" word. There isn't one. The goal is to use language that doesn't strip away a person's dignity while they’re already going through one of the hardest experiences a human can face. Language evolves because our understanding of human rights evolves. Using a better word for homeless is just one tiny part of recognizing that every person deserves a place to call home, regardless of what we call them in the meantime.
To implement this in your daily life, start by auditing your own communications. If you're a business owner or community leader, check your website and public statements. Replace "homeless" with "unhoused" or "neighbors experiencing homelessness." This signals to your community that you view these individuals as neighbors first. When discussing local policy, advocate for "permanent supportive housing" rather than just "homeless beds." This shifts the conversation toward long-term solutions rather than temporary fixes. Finally, when you encounter someone on the street, remember that no matter what label you use in your head, a simple "hello" or "good morning" acknowledges their humanity more than any "correct" term ever could.