# Homeless vs Unhoused, and other vocabulary shifts

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-vs-unhoused-and-other-vocabulary-shifts/939993>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 14, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-vs-unhoused-and-other-vocabulary-shifts/939993 "2021-04-14T19:17:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-vs-unhoused-and-other-vocabulary-shifts/939993/61 "2021-04-19T14:44:25Z")

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> [@lobotomyboy63](#):
>
> I wonder if the OP is coming from the “Nomadland” book’s/movie’s perspective. I think the book mentioned it and the movie reiterated it, but basically the idea is that you don’t need a house in order to have a place to live that you call “home.”

Nope (although I’ve seen Nomadland). it was a news report (probably on NPR) where someone referred to people living on the street as “unhoused”. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard the word, but it started me wondering when did it come into common parlance, and what is the distinction between it and the word it replaces, and why did that happen.

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**Author:** ![Ranch\_Dip](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranch_dip/32/5238_2.png) [@Ranch\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranch_Dip)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-vs-unhoused-and-other-vocabulary-shifts/939993/62 "2021-04-19T20:53:24Z")

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> [@bump](#):
>
> They’re here illegally,

There are those who say that we can’t declare them illegal while we occupy stolen land.

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