• snooggums@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        In the US they mean different things, as homeless includes people living in other people’s homes. That can include people whose house just burnt down and are living with friends or family because they lost their permanent residence (home). Unhoused is about where they are staying.

        People on the street are homeless and unhoused.

        • leisesprecher@feddit.org
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          6 months ago

          And you really think people use and understand these terms like that?

          You may be correct in the academic sense, but completely wrong in all other senses.

          • Grimy@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            He isn’t correct in an academic sense. They are synonyms. Unhoused is being used because homeless has negative connotation to it.

    • snooggums@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Not sure about Canada, but in the US:

      Homeless = no permanent residence, which also includes couch surfing, parents and children who just fled an abusive family member and are temporarily ltaying with friends or relatives, and people who are living in their car. All people without a home.

      Unhoused = homeless people that don’t have a roof over their heads. Might include living in a car.

      • Grimy@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        They are synonyms. Please don’t make things up.

        Edit: to all the knee-jerk downvoting. This is literally a quote from an article the user himself supplied as proof that there is a difference.

        Unhoused is probably the most popular alternative to the word “homeless.” It’s undoubtedly the one I see most often recommended by advocates. But it doesn’t have a meaningful difference in connotation from the more common term, “homeless.”

        It’s literally just a pc synonym of homeless.