Dirt, Disorder, and Homelessness: The Language of Being Unhoused in North America

Abstract: Drawing on the concept of dirt as matter out of place, we analyze the powerful role that language can play in shaping societal perceptions of homelessness, particularly in the context of encampments and public space. Alienating language towards unhoused individuals can label them and the spaces they inhabit as out of place and disposable. Such language can have drastic psychological consequences for individuals, leading to internalized stigma and loss of self-worth. This framing can also be used to justify societal responses to homelessness, legitimizing punitive policies such as encampment "sweeps" and the criminalization of homelessness. Person-first, rights-based, and community-focused language is an alternative way to frame homelessness and unhoused communities. Changes in the language used when describing homelessness and encampments can play an important role in dignifying people experiencing homelessness and challenging the discourse that can disempower individuals experiencing homelessness and justify harmful policy decisions.