In some ways, the connection between the environment and homelessness is obvious: severe environmental change or deterioration displaces local populations, often leaving them without means of supporting themselves. But there is a complex interplay between environmental change and the socio-economic realities for those who are experiencing it, as not all people are equally vulnerable to this kind of forced adaptation. Marginalized communities, including those living in insecure or inadequate housing and those already experiencing homelessness, are particularly at risk. 

Environmental degredation due to climate change has marked significant shifts in habitation: rising sea levels; ice melt and increased rainfall, and progressively severe weather patterns, including drought, heat and cold waves. These changes play a role in uprooting populations in response to changes in the ecosystem that affect their ability to procure food, water, and fuel, alongside loss of land and heightened exposure to climate-based natural disasters. All of these factors can contribute to people's inability to maintain their local housing; for many, economic and social factors may bar them from simply obtaining new housing, either locally or elsewhere.