There is no universal statistical definition and classification of homelessness.

Statistics Faroe Islands has decided to use the classification system made by the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTESA), an independent organisation backed by the European Commission.

Published in 2005, the system is known as “European Typology of Homelessness and housing exclusion”, abbreviated as ETHOS. The system aims to raise awareness of homelessness in Europe and create shared conceptions of homelessness across borders.

ETHOS classifies homelessness into different categories and is designed for statistical analysis of homelessness.

There are two editions of the ETHOS system, one for research purposes and the other for statistical purposes. Statistics Faroe Islands uses the latter, known as “A Harmonised Definition of Homelessness for Statistical Purposes”. Read more about it here and here.

Statistics Faroe Islands now compiles figures for the following sub-categories of homelessness: ‘2.2 Overnight shelter' and ‘3.3 Homeless hostels’, '3.6.1 Women's shelters', '3.6.2 Refuge accommodation' and '4.7 Health care institutions'. Other categories of homelessness are not be covered in the statististics and the statistic is therefore not exhaustive.

Temporary accommodation type:

• Overnight shelter: An overnight shelter provides emergency night-time accommodation. It typically allows people to stay only for the night, often leaving again in the morning.
• Homeless hostel: A homeless hostel offers longer-term accommodation than an overnight shelter.
• Women’s shelters: Women’s shelters provide safe and protected housing for women (and often their children) who are facing violence, threats, or other crisis situations.
• Refugee accommodation: Refugee accommodation is provided for people who have applied for or received asylum.
• Heilsustovnuar: 
  • Lack of housing accessibility adapdations: Comprises persons in health care institutions who are waiting for necessary assistive devices or adaptations to their home in order to be able to live in their own housing again.
  • Lack of respite care or rehabilitation: Comprises persons in health care institutions who are waiting for necessary respite care or rehabilitation before they can return to their own home.
  • Lack of nursing home placement: Comprises persons in health care institutions who are waiting for a place in a nursing home, as they can no longer live in their own home.
  • Lack of institutional placement: Comprises persons in health care institutions who are waiting for institutional placement.

Definitions:

• Persons at the end of the month: Counts how many persons are registered at the end of the month.
• Check-ins (persons): Counts how many persons have checked in during the month.
• Check-outs (persons): Counts how many persons have checked out during the month.
• Overnight stays, used: Counts the number of overnight stays. An overnight stay is defined as a single night spent in a temporary accommodation dwelling. For example, if 2 people spend 3 nights in a temporary accommodation, this counts as 6 overnight stays.
• Overnight stays, capacity: Counts the overnight stays capacity of the temporary accommodation dwellings. The overnight stays capacity is calculated by multiplying the number of bed places with the amount of days within the relevant month.
• Overnight stays, occupancy rate: Counts how large a share of the bed places is being used in percentage. Note that the occupance rate in some cases exceeds 100%. The reason is that more beds or mattresses are used than are usually available for the purpose.
• Bed-places, in number: Counts how many bed places are in the temporary accommodation dwellings.
• Bedroom nights, used: Counts the number of nights rooms are used. For example, if 2 rooms are occupied for 4 nights each, this counts as 8 room nights. The number of people staying in the rooms is in this case irrelevant.
• Bedroom nights, capacity: Counts the bedroom night capacity of the temporary accommodation dwellings. The bedroom night capacity is calculated by multiplying number of bedrooms with the amount of days within the relevant month.
• Bedroom nights, occupancy rate: Counts how large a share of the room nights is being used in percentage. Note that the occupance rate in some cases exceeds 100%. The reason is that more rooms are used than are usually available for the purpose.
• Bedrooms, in number: Counts how many bedrooms are in the temporary accommodation dwellings.