A/HRC/31/54 particularly precarious situations — overcrowded and unsafe situations, sometimes renting informally, subject to eviction at a moment’s notice or in grossly inadequate shelter unfit for human habitation. These households might reasonably be considered and may selfidentify as homeless. 12. Different definitions can create different perceptions and policy priorities. In Japan, when homelessness was defined in terms of those living on the street, available data suggested declining numbers as a result of shelter programmes. However, when defined as “lacking access to minimally adequate housing”, data showed increasing numbers of homeless.5 13. Definitions relating only to a lack of physical shelter also fail to take into account the loss of social connection — the feeling of “belonging nowhere”6 — experienced by homeless persons. A number of States have attempted to address this concern by referencing the rupture of family or social connections in their definitions of homelessness. Including the more qualitative aspects of social exclusion linked to homelessness, however, can make definitions too imprecise for some purposes. 14. Different types of homelessness can also be understood in relation to choices of survival strategies and lifestyles. Advocates for street-connected children and young people suggest that a definition of homelessness that recognizes agency and choice as well as deprivation is preferable. B. A three-dimensional human rights definition of homelessness 15. Different definitions of homelessness serve different purposes. A universally applied definition with common measurement, as proposed by the Institute of Global Homelessness could play an important role in promoting enhanced State accountability and informing development goals. 16. From a human rights perspective, the Special Rapporteur advocates a flexible and contextual approach to defining homelessness that recognizes experiences and understandings of homelessness among different groups and in diverse circumstances. A human rights definition should focus attention on the most desperate situations while ensuring that those who are homeless identify those circumstances themselves, define their needs and are recognized as actors in effecting change to fully realize their right to adequate housing. The social dimensions of homelessness are also central to a human rights definition. 17. In light of these considerations, the Special Rapporteur proposes the following threedimensional approach anchored in human rights: (a) The first dimension addresses the absence of home — both the absence of the material aspect of minimally adequate housing and of the social aspect of a secure place to establish a family or social relationships and participate in community life; (b) The second dimension considers homelessness as a form of systemic discrimination and social exclusion, recognizing that being deprived of a home gives rise to a social identity through which “the homeless” is constituted as a social group subject to discrimination and stigmatization; 5 6 Rayna Rushenko, “Homelessness and related policy in Japan and Malaysia”, presentation on homelessness in a global landscape, 2 June 2015. Available from http://media.wix.com/ugd/d41ae6_167a5007c11a4cc49fe75499fd60325b.pdf. United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Strategies to Combat Homelessness (2000). 5