homelessness

[hohm-lis-nis]

noun

1. lack of permanent housing, especially this condition generally as a matter of public concern.

   The city partners with community groups to offer resources for youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability.

2. lack of a feeling of belonging; rootlessness or restlessness.

   He writes about a feeling of homelessness after immigration, when he felt neither firmly bound to his native culture nor fully adapted to the new one.

Sensitive Note

See homeless ( def. ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of homelessness¹

First recorded in 1810–20; homeless ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

Councils across London are set to receive £36.5m in funding to help tackle homelessness this winter.

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Dickinson combed through “maybe 50 or 100” tapes to find the right actor to play Mike, a down-on-his-luck British man struggling with homelessness and drug addiction on the streets of London.

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“As this fear spreads, so does economic hardship, and with it the very real risk of eviction and homelessness.”

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Indeed, “True Colors” heralded Lauper’s decades of work as an activist fighting homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth and combating efforts to restrict women’s reproductive rights.

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Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern described the figures as "heartbreaking" and said the government was "accelerating efforts to tackle the root causes of homelessness".

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