Homelessness is an urgent, solvable issue, affecting every country in varying contexts. To effectively end homelessness, countries must accurately measure the scope of homelessness through clear, standardized, and inclusive definitions and standardized, disaggregated data collection.
The Vincentian Family Homelessness Campaign — a collaborative advocacy campaign co-sponsored by Vincentian Family at the United Nations, in partnership with Famvin Homeless Alliance, the Institute of Global Homelessness and Depaul International — calls for countries to prioritize defining and accurately measuring homelessness.
The Secretary General calls for governments “to institutionalize regular data collection on homelessness using harmonized indicators that reflect the lived experiences and intersecting exclusions of affected populations.”
Although homelessness meaningfully intersects with the current Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs), it is absent from all 17 SDGs, their 169 targets and their 248 indicators. Around the world, we are facing a housing crisis, and rates of homelessness are rising. Without homelessness definition and measurement, millions of people experiencing homelessness will continue to be left behind in global development efforts. Homelessness definition and measurement can be established through coordinated action across sectors.
Countries have already shown that homelessness can be prevented and ended. With inclusive policies, programs and collaboration, homelessness is solvable. By strengthening efforts to collect and report data on homelessness, nations can pave the way for its inclusion within the post-2030 UN agenda. This is a vital step to galvanize political will, allocate dedicated resources, and create a shared global metric for progress towards ending homelessness.
We call on you to join our efforts to encourage countries to strengthen their efforts to collect accurate data on homelessness and commit to ending homelessness. By doing so, they can help pave the way for homelessness to be included in the post-2030 UN agenda.
How Can You Help?
Share suggested social media posts on milestone dates. We have curated several graphics that spotlight the issue of homelessness, causes and intersections, housing as a solution to homelessness, and more. Download the toolkit in your language below.
Read and share the 2025 UN Secretary-General’s Report: “Inclusive policies and programmes to address homelessness”. The report urges governments to adopt coordinated national strategies, strengthen data systems, and acknowledge the unique challenges of groups facing systemic exclusion.
Write a letter to your country’s representatives, encouraging them to strengthen their efforts to collect homelessness data. By doing so, they can help pave the way for homelessness to be included in the post-2030 UN agenda.