homelessness

American  

[hohm-lis-nis] / ˈhoʊm lɪs nɪs /

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.

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Sensitive Note

See homeless ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of homelessness

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

Explanation

Homelessness is a situation in which people don't have a place to live. A family experiencing homelessness might need to temporarily stay in a city shelter or with a relative. Homelessness is a state of being without a home. The word usually describes the circumstances of people who have fallen on hard times and don't have the money or ability to acquire a safe, stable place to live. Homelessness is a widespread problem across the U.S., with causes that include poverty, addiction, domestic violence, low wages, and lack of affordable housing.

Example Sentences

Since 2023, unsheltered homelessness has fallen by 17.5%, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, but nearly 27,000 still remain on the sidewalks, parks, RVs and elsewhere on the street.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

Prince William has a project to tackle homelessness, Homewards, and there are plans for the duchy to provide an extra 12,000 homes by 2040.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

At that meeting, she said, Mahan “really dug in on some of the core issues that I care about,” including housing, homelessness and education.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

You could take many of those same critiques and apply them to the haphazard way in which city and county leaders have addressed homelessness.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

All that money that could help other species or other conservation efforts or tackle human problems such as homelessness or poverty—for one species?

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh