Inspired by the political theorist Hannah Arendt, this paper poses the question: what does it mean to think morally and politically about homelessness? Recent research by Hanover Welfare Services, a prominent Melbourne-based homeless agency, confirms how moral judgements about homelessness continue to be informed by a stereotypical focus on individual attribution and responsibility.

Following Arendt, this paper proposes that it is necessary to ‘think well’ about homelessness – namely critically and empathetically as a necessary precursor to social action – and outlines an alternate moral and political lexicon. The suggested lexicon revolves around three related concepts: the homeless experience rather than the ‘homeless’; the ‘home’ and what the home provides rather than shelter; and institutional rather than just individual attribution and responsibility.