Definitions and Categories

The United States government acknowledges four categories of people who qualify as legally homeless: (1) those who are currently homeless, (2) those who will become homeless in the imminent future, (3) certain youths and families with children who suffer from home instability caused by a hardship, and (4) those who suffer from home instability caused by domestic violence.

1. CURRENT HOMELESSNESS: An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning any of the following three (3) situations:

· Homeless Without Shelter: The individual or family uses a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for—or ordinarily used as—a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (e.g., car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, camping ground).

· Homeless With Shelter: The individual or family lives in a supervised, publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (e.g., congregate shelters, transitional housing, hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals).

· Homeless Due to Institutional Release: The individual is exiting an institution where he or she resided for no more than 90 days, and the individual resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution.

2. IMMINENT HOMELESSNESS: An individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence, meaning that each of the following three (3) conditions are met:

· Imminence of Loss: The primary nighttime residence will be lost within 14 days.

· Lack of Alternate Housing: The individual or family has not arranged for a new primary nighttime residence after the current residence is lost.

· Lack of Support: The individual or family lacks the resources or support networks needed to obtain other permanent housing (e.g., family, friends, faith-based or other social networks).

3. YOUTH/FAMILY HOME INSTABILITY CAUSED BY HARDSHIP: An unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age, or family with children, who is not currently or imminently lacking a primary nighttime residence, but who nevertheless suffers from unreliable housing. To qualify as homeless under this category, the youth or family must meeteach of the following four (4) conditions:

· Qualification as Homeless Youth or Family: must meet one of the definitions of homeless under any of the following seven (7) federal statutes:

1. Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, §5732a(3)

2. Head Start Act, §9832(11)

3. Violence Against Women Act, §14043e-2(6)

4. Public Health Service Act, §254b(h)(5)(A)

5. Food and Nutrition Act, §2012(m)

6. Child Nutrition Act, §1786(b)(15)

7. McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, §11434a(2)

· Lack of Permanent Housing: must have not had a lease, ownership interest, or occupancy agreement in permanent housing at any time during the last 60 days.

· Persistence of Housing Instability: must have moved primary nighttime residences at least twice during the last 60 days.

· Presence of an Ongoing Hardship: the lack of permanent housing and persistence of housing instability are expected to continue for an extended period of time due to any of the following six (6) reasons:

1. Chronic disabilities

2. Chronic physical or mental health conditions

3. Substance addiction

4. Histories of domestic violence or child abuse (including neglect)

5. The presence of a child or youth with a disability

6. The presence of at least two (2) barriers to employment, which include any of the following five (5) barriers:

· Lack of a high school diploma or GED

· Illiteracy

· Low English proficiency

· History of incarceration or detention for criminal activity

· History of unstable employment.

4. HOME INSTABILITY CAUSED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Any individual or family who meets each of the following four (4) conditions:

· Flight from Violence: The individual or family is fleeing or attempting to flee from violence, which includes any of the following:

1. Domestic violence

2. Dating violence

3. Sexual assault

4. Stalking

5. Any other dangerous or life-threatening condition that relates to violence against the individual or a family member (including a child).

· Connection with Housing: The violence or dangerous condition has either:

· taken place within the individual’s or family’s primary nighttime residence, or

· made the individual or family afraid to return to their primary nighttime residence.

· Lack of Alternate Housing: The individual or family has no other residence to flee to.

· Lack of Support: The individual or family lacks the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing (e.g., family, friends, faith-based or other social networks).

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 911