homelessness
n.the state of not having a permanent place to live. It is a serious social problem where people live on the streets or in temporary shelters.
n.the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. Often used in sociological contexts to describe the systemic lack of residential security.
“The city is trying to reduce homelessness by building more shelters.”
“Local charities provide food and medical care to people experiencing homelessness during the winter months.”
“Addressing chronic homelessness requires a multifaceted approach that combines immediate emergency housing with long-term mental health support and vocational training programs.”
Often appears as the object of the verb 'experience' or 'address' rather than 'have'.
“People usually end up coming back to homelessness for mental health or financial reasons.”
“Of that, £8.4m will go to charities and other community organisations as part of the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund .”
Common in health writing
From homeless + -ness.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.