Total homelessness encompasses all individuals experiencing homelessness. However, when addressing this key performance indicator, the editorial board seeks to delineate among the following three broad categories of homeless persons: 1. Persons who are recently or temporarily homeless, and who possess the potential to regain stability with financial assistance. 2. Persons often experiencing long-term homelessness who have become reliant on government support, developed a sense of learned helplessness, and lack intentions to pursue employment or permanent housing. 3. Individuals grappling with severe mental illness. It is crucial to emphasize that the category of 'severely mentally ill' excludes individuals who have become reliant on government support and developed learned helplessness, without an underlying primary psychiatric disorder.
