Three types

There are three "types" of homeless patrons

There are multiple “types” of homelessness. Experts disagree on exactly how many types there are—and exactly what to call them—so I will simplify it. For our purposes, there are three types:

Short-Term - Individuals experiencing short-term homelessness aren’t homeless for very long. At the shelter I run, 50% of the people that come to our shelter are out again within 2 weeks. They typically have no major issues. Some sort of financial crisis bumped them out of housing and they scramble quickly to get back.
Medium-Term - Individuals experiencing medium-term homelessness are homeless for up to one year. This subgroup typically has one—but only one—major issue (e.g. mental illness, substance abuse, health problems, legal problems, etc.). It takes about a year to work through a major life challenge. This is 42% of the residents at our shelter.
Chronic - Individuals experiencing chronic homelessness are homeless for more than one year (and oftentimes much more). This subgroup has multiple major issues (e.g. mental illness AND substance abuse AND health problems AND legal problems, etc.). It can take years (or forever) to work through multiple serious life challenges. This is 8% of the residents at our shelter in a given year.

When most people—including librarians—talk about homeless individuals, they are actually talking about chronically homeless individuals. The chronically homeless (8-10% of the total population) are much more likely to fit the stereotypes we have about homelessness. They often struggle with mental illness and addiction, which can really take a toll on a person’s physical appearance over time.

When library staff expresses concern over its homeless patrons, what they usually really mean is that they are having problems with their chronically homeless patrons.

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