Title: homelessness | Definition, Scope, & Causes | Britannica
Headings: Homelessness
Homelessness
social phenomenon
Scope and causes
criminalizing homelessness
Homelessness in the United States
Helping the homeless
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Content: Therefore, it considers homelessness to be a human rights violation caused by unjust inequalities in income and wealth. The UN has called on governments throughout the world to do more to combat the problem. Kraków, Poland: homeless people receiving food
Homeless people receiving food on Christmas Eve in Kraków, Poland. © wjarek/Shutterstock.com
Government responses to homelessness have varied. England passed a law in 1977 that required local authorities to house the homeless. However, the Homeless Persons Act promised assistance only to homeless people who were considered a “priority.” This meant that homeless families with children often received help while homeless individuals were turned away. A new law passed in 2017 required local councils to house all of the homeless regardless of their priority status. In the United States, the first major law to address homelessness was the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987.