Written By: Jayne Richardson
What is homelessness? AustinTexas.Gov defines homelessness as “people who live in a place not meant for human habitation or shelter.”
It is common for most people to think that there is only one kind of homeless person, someone who lives on the streets, but it is quite the contrary. There are actually different forms of homelessness and it can be difficult to detect a homeless person sometimes.
Homelessness can be classified into four categories: chronic, episodic, transitional, and hidden.
Chronic Homelessness
Chronic homelessness is when someone experiences homelessness for over a year or has encountered homelessness multiple times over the past couple of years. Most people who experience chronic homelessness are older and struggle with mental illness, addiction, or physical disabilities.
Chronic homelessness is what most people encounter and think of when referring to a homeless person, but this type of homelessness is less common than the others.
Episodic Homelessness
Episodic Homelessness is when a person is homeless on-and-off throughout their life or has been homeless multiple times in one year. These individuals are usually young, chronically unemployed, and struggle with mental illness, addiction, or medical issues.
Episodic homelessness can eventually turn into chronic homelessness if the person experiences homelessness four or more times within a year.
Transitional Homelessness
Transitional Homelessness is when a catastrophic event or crisis causes a person to be homeless for a short amount of time. This type of homelessness is the most common and accounts for the majority of the homeless population.
It is typical for a transitional homeless person to check into a shelter, instead of sleep on the streets.
Hidden Homelessness
Hidden Homelessness are individuals who do not have permanent housing and typically rely on friends or family for a place to stay. Hidden homelessness is actually not a part of the national statistics for homeless people, only because these people do nott access the homeless support resources.
How Can I Help?
Homelessness is a huge problem in the Austin area and is progressively getting worse. The best way to get involved is by volunteering or donating to your local homeless nonprofits. There are so many nonprofits in Austin you can get involved with to help out the homeless. Here are a few to help get you started:
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