Houseless or Homeless—Why Words Matter

- July 15, 2022

In recent years, there’s been a semantic shift from the term homeless to the more widely preferred houseless to describe individuals without housing. Like me, you may be wondering why. According to Do Good Multnomah, a non-profit organization that works to provide housing and low-barrier emergency shelter to houseless Veterans in Portland, the reasons are varied. Broadly speaking, there is stigma associated with the word homeless. It has connotations that individuals living a housing-unstable existence may not embrace.

In order to effectively serve underrepresented communities, it seems imperative that organizations include members of said communities in the discussion. And Do Good uses the term houseless in internal and external communications because they’ve done just that. As is stated on their Website: “We… listen to the preference[s of the population we serve] and make the conscious effort to empower our participants in any way we can, which sometimes means adjusting our word choice.

Further, I would posit that developing effective frameworks to address complex societal issues requires careful thought and intention. As such, thoughtful and effective communication, including word choice, seems relevant—if not paramount—to tangible, longterm progress. Do Good’s website explicates: “Home is so much more than a physical space.” It is community, friends and family, a sense of belonging. “By calling individuals experiencing houselessness homeless you may be stripping away that connection. Houselessness is simply lacking a place to live. Not everyone has housing, but every person has a home.”