Dwelling
A structure or place used as a home by one or more people. Dwellings range from temporary shelters to permanent buildings.
Shelter: Protection from danger or exposure, often provided by a structure or natural feature. A dwelling is shelter organized for ongoing domestic use.
House: A building designed to provide living space for one or more households. The house is a familiar building-scale form of dwelling.
Homelessness: The condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. It marks the absence of a secure dwelling, not merely the absence of a building.
Housing affordability: The relationship between housing costs and the resources available to households. Affordability determines which households can obtain and keep a dwelling.
Household: A person or group of people occupying a housing unit and sharing domestic arrangements. The household is the social unit that uses a dwelling.
Apartment: A self-contained housing unit within a larger building, usually occupied by one household. Apartments make dwellings possible within dense multi-unit buildings.
Second home: A residential property used by its owner in addition to a primary home. It is a dwelling whose use is secondary rather than primary.
Overcrowding: A condition in which a housing unit contains more occupants than its space can adequately support. Limited dwelling space can compromise privacy, safety, and health.
Room: An enclosed part of a building separated from other spaces by walls, floors, or ceilings. Rooms divide many dwellings into spaces for distinct domestic activities.
Tent: A portable shelter made from fabric or other flexible material supported by a frame or poles. Tents serve as movable dwellings for travel, work, and emergency shelter.