In turn, these negative stereotypes encourage stigma, which can increase the shame and embarrassment of people experiencing it. Through this phrasing, we might inadvertently be lumping together a negative stereotype with the human attached to the phrase. When people hear the term “homeless people” or “the homeless,” they might unintentionally associate that term with negative and harmful stereotypes.

“Even a small fluke of grammar can have an effect on how people think about the world.” How Language Can Change Our Perspective of Homelessness While, again, this might seem trivial to some, as Lera Boroditsky, a psychologist at Stanford University, once said: Each person experiencing homelessness contains a multitude: They are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, artists, writers, businesspersons, entrepreneurs, athletes, and so much more. However, we cannot define people solely by their homelessness. When people use the term “the homeless” or “homeless person” (even in the context of compassion and kindness, such as “helping the homeless,” “feeding the homeless,” and “care for the homeless”), they are characterizing all people who are homeless as one thing and one thing only: homeless. They’re just in trouble, but there’s a way to help them.” – Father Joe Carroll They are somebody’s son, somebody’s daughter. It is about being “empathetically correct”: humanizing people who are often forgotten, objectified, and stigmatized by society. However, for us, the wording is not about being politically correct. In this day-and-age of political correctness, it can be challenging to know the right way to refer to people living on the streets or in shelters. Why Should I Use “Person Who is Homeless” vs. At Father Joe’s Villages, we find terms like “hobo,” “tramp,” and “bum,” to be offensive because they perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Today, there have been many discussions about whether hobo is an appropriate term. Another idea is that the term “hobo” came from Hoboken, New Jersey where many rail lines at the time converged, making the city a gathering point for people experiencing homelessness. It has also been theorized that “hobo” could be short for “hopping boxcars,” since they could be seen hopping from one boxcar to the next, traveling in search of work or odd jobs. One explanation is that the word “hobo” derives from the greeting “Ho, boy!” which was often used among railway workers in the early 1900’s. These theories are often centered around the early 19th century trend of “riding the rails,” where many people struggling with homelessness would jump from train to train in search of cities that held better opportunities. While experts are not sure where the term “hobo” originated there are many theories on how the word may have started. This small grammatical change can make a big difference in how we view or treat people struggling with homelessness. Helping the Homeless”, “Feeding the Homeless”, “Care for the Homeless”Īlthough these phrases can seem wordy or insignificant to some, we think this is an important distinction. Just a few small adjustments can make a big difference. We should all attempt to humanize people experiencing homelessness in our everyday conversations.

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