Why “houseless” instead of “homeless?”

At LA Community Alliance, we regularly work with people experiencing homelessness, however we made a conscious decision to move away from using the actual word “homeless.” One look at that sentence as well as the rest of our website and our social media will tell you that we intentionally avoid this term!

Why is this done, you may ask?

For decades, “homeless” served as a slightly better substitute for several more antiquated and offensive terms, such as vagrant or transient, which placed unfair blame on the person experiencing a loss of housing. Yet over time the term “homeless” grew to gather its own burdensome stigma that only serves as additional strain on the person who is without a house.

Is the word homeless the correct term? Is “homeless” offensive? 

Has “homeless” become a bad word?

The answer to that can be complex, but the simplest way we can address it is as follows: 

Not everyone has housing, but everyone has a home--including our houseless beneficiaries at LACA. The term “homeless” makes the spaces they do call home sound illegitimate, when home represents far more than a location. Instead, home is friends, family, and community.

What’s a better word for this?

Holding this meaningful conversation led us to adopt the term “houseless.” At LACA, we would love to see the conversation move from “homeless” to “houseless.” Importantly, the word houseless is not merely a synonym for homeless, particularly in today’s world of unstable housing faced by so many.

At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has forced so many people out of their housing, it is especially imperative that we exercise empathy and sensitivity toward this situation. Numerous hard-working people are only one paycheck away from this harrowing experience, particularly in our homebase of Los Angeles. For many of us in LA, with its rising cost of living and skyrocketing rent, it would only take one hardship to take away our shelter. And to call COVID-19 a hardship would certainly be understating things.

But if worst comes to worst, removing our shelter has only rendered us houseless. It has not cost us our community.

And that’s where LA Community Alliance comes in.

Got money and no time? Donate! Got time and no money? Volunteer.

Houseless vs. homeless / unhoused vs. homeless

Houseless is not a euphemism for homeless. We remind everyone that “houseless” is an adjective. It’s true that the term homeless began this way--initially as part of the phrase “homeless people”--yet it quickly became a noun in the form of “the homeless,” dropping the word “people” altogether and leaving the inescapable impression that these individuals were no longer entirely viewed as people. It removed their humanity.

As a nonprofit, we clearly are very concerned with always recognizing the humanity in the people we serve. That’s why we encourage others to contemplate using “houseless” along with other desirable alternatives such as “unsheltered” and “unhoused,” to avoid invoking the stigma that accompanies “homeless.”

We also advocate making a conscious effort to use any and all of these terms only as adjectives (such as “unhoused people”) or, even better, as an experience (as in “people experiencing homelessness”). The latter choice clearly conveys that this is just a stage of their lives to endure, and not their entire identity.

Words matter, but action matters even more. 

We must correct any misconception about those living outside and treat the problem they face as contextually as it deserves. That said, we would never shame anyone who finds themselves forgetfully reverting to the “homeless” term. It’s become embedded in our culture, and language alone does not determine where your heart is.

But speaking of hearts: we all know the phrase “home is where the heart is.” We invite you to reflect on the true meaning behind that expression, and always remember that our unhoused friends are humans with hearts … and that we must always treat them that way.

That’s our mission at LACA. If you would like to take real action to end homelessness and help the unhoused members of the LA community, we’re just a click or a phone call away. Stop by our contact page now and join the Alliance.