CATEGORIES OF HOMELESSNESS
I never really thought about different definitions for homelessness before but I found these categories in "SCOOP: The Newsmagazine for Housing Co-operatives in BC", in an article by Maggie Kerr-Southin "Building Safe, Compassionate Communities". Many people with mental illness do not have adequate housing and yet it is one of the most important things we human beings need in order to have some degree of mental health.
So Kerr-Southin categorizes homelessness as:
ROOFLESSNESS which is when a person has no shelter at all and is essentially sleeping "in the rough" - meaning outside in some dark alley or doorway or....
HOUSELESSNESS is when a person has a temporary place to sleep such as a shelter, hospital or prison. Better than nothing but still a far cry from adequate and good for mental health.
INSECURE HOUSING is when a person is threatened by insecure tenancy, impending eviction or a situation of domestic violence. This also includes going from couch to couch "couch surfing".
INADEQUATE HOUSING is when a person feels unsafe in their house, or the house is substandard or in the condition of being overcrowded.
This article by Kerr-Southin is mostly to let people know about The Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness which is "a partnership between local service providers, all levels of government, business, community and the faith community." Kerr-Southin is the Communications and Planning Specialist for the Coalition.
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