“Homelessness is basically invisible in our community. How do we get the message out that it really does exist even though we don’t see people sleeping on park benches?” – Ruth

Thanks for the question Ruth! First, I want to acknowledge that our community isn’t out of the ordinary. Most people experiencing homelessness fall under the “provisionally accommodated” category of homelessness and are what most people call the “hidden homeless.”

When most people think about homelessness, their minds often jump to the image of someone sleeping and living on the streets. In reality, homelessness takes many forms and isn’t always obvious, even from up close. Homelessness can essentially be broken down into four categories: chronic, episodic, transitional, and hidden. We’ll go into detail about each of these groups and explore how we can make a difference together.