Definitional Aspects and Issues Concerning Homeless Individuals: A Brief Narrative Review of the Evolution of the Homelessness Phenomenon.

The scientific literature and forensic research on homeless individuals are not well-developed, either in qualitative or quantitative terms. This population belongs to a complex, elusive, and difficult-to-study marginalized category, even for the most seasoned researchers. One of the most prevalent issues, which has direct implications for social studies and publications, is the challenge of defining homelessness. The difficulty in establishing unified and coherent definitions that garner consensus among researchers has immediate negative effects on studies and research, which are significantly hindered by the heterogeneity of these definitions. Given the significance of this issue, the authors have chosen to provide a reflective contribution, presenting a repertoire of definitions in the work we introduce here.