The Federal Definition of Homelessness as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is written as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,” and “an individual who has a primary nighttime residence” that is

1. “a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter…”
2. “an institution that provides a temporary residence for an individual intended to be institutionalized”
3. “a public or private place not designed for… a regular sleeping accomodation for human beings

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However, a blog post by Dominic Mapstone for the “End Homelessness” section of change.org about the difference between “houselessness” and “homelessness” made me think further about this federal definition. [You can read the post here]  There is always going to be a need for a federal definition in situations that call for  research and statistics, but as many researchers have seen, homelessness statistics are consistently underscored.  Many times when we think about someone who is homeless, we think about someone without a house.  Mapstone goes further when talking about a family who has lost their house because of a fire, but he states that, “They aren’t homeless! That family still has each other and all their social connectedness and contacts are still intact.”

Homelessness is something more than being without a house.  Homelessness is having no connection, or no support.  I agree with Mapstone when he says that, “housed people experience this loneliness and isolation also.”  Ending homelessness calls for a reconnection between an individual and a community.  Providing OPTIONS and linkage to community resources is key to helping the homeless.

Visit HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program page to learn more about the services that are provided for the homeless.  Or, check out our Open Doors with Care page to see how you can continue to help our initiative.

Homelessness can happen to anyone because of tragedy, fighting with addiction, or many other reasons.  One of the most disheartening reasons is what often makes most children and teenagers homeless.

“First, his parents, whose marriage had imploded, disappeared. A few days later, Brewer came home from school to an eviction notice posted on the front door.”

This quote, taken from an article in the Washington Post, shows just one case; however, for many homeless youth, the reason they are forced to their street is not their choice, but one made by the people they trusted.  According to a report done by First Focus, federal data shows that the number of homeless children and youth identified in public schools has increased for the second year in a row, and by 41% over the past two school years.

Homeless students enrolled in Indiana schools has risen by 26% in these past two school years!

These reports are only able to capture the number of youth who are ENROLLED in school.  Assistance for students is hard to find because like the story from the Washington Post, many students enrolled in school are couch surfing with friends and family.  Youth who do this do not qualify as homeless under the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition.

There are a few resources that do help Indianapolis’ homeless youth, namely HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program, Outreach, Inc., and Schools on Wheels.  Do you know of any more resources for homeless youth?