>[f. HOME n. + -LESS.]
>
> 1. Having no home or permanent abode. Usually of persons; hence transf.
>of their condition, etc. (In quot. 1615 quasi-adv. in comb.)
>
[snip]
Interesting, I thought that homeless for "indigent" or "beggar" was a very recent invention, but I see that it has been used that way since the late eighteenth century. Still, what I really want to dig into is how it became the dominant term ...around the early eighties...
Can anyone recommend a google search strategy?... somehow I suspect that looking for "Homeless" will get me nowhere.
Thanks
Joanna