Homelessness as Capability Deprivation: A Conceptual Model

Abstract

Many prominent definitions pose homelessness as the opposite or lack of home, while at the same time reducing the concept of home to aspects of adequate housing. As a result, many definitions struggle to fully account for the complexity and multidimensional experience of homelessness. This paper tackles these conceptual issues by building on recent work applying the capabilities approach. It argues that homelessness is a type of capability deprivation that is the opposite, or loss, of home. Drawing on the literature on the meaning of home and homelessness, the paper proposes six key dimensions that, along with the work on capabilities, form the basis of a conceptual model. This conceptual model spells out what is meant by homelessness as capability deprivation and specifies what is required to end someone’s homelessness, all while situating homelessness within a broader political–philosophical discourse about social justice and the basic entitlements of all people.