The original term for “street people” applied to those among the hippie revolution who dropped out of society in order to live lives that were free of materialistic concerns and the restrictions of society. This lifestyle often included drug experimentation to the point where many were permanently unable to return to society, especially where LSD and the hard drug or alcohol addictions were involved. The streets were full of people who may or may not have had homes to return to.

Today, the term “street people” mainly applies to the decidedly homeless, drug addicts, runaways,  the mentally ill or to beggars who spend the bulk of their time “in the streets”. It had been discovered during the 70’s that many people who had perfectly good homes actually went out every day and panhandled for income. The income could be as high as $180 in a day if a regular panhandler frequented the right spots.

Others were runaways from homes that were so dysfunctional that it seemed safer to them to leave for life on the roads and streets.

Many mentally ill people have perfectly good homes. They will dress well and leave the home to roam the streets for a significant portion of the day, most days of the week, and they will become regular fixtures in certain neighborhoods or sections of town.

Transitory retired and elderly or working people who spend a set time, every day at a business such as a coffee shop or diner, can be related to as street people, especially if they are well known regulars who knows of all the goings on at and around a particular street or business.

The bulk of street people are commonly and mistakenly defined as those who have all completely dropped out of the social structure and who have no identifiable structure to their lives, community or business. There can actually be a lot of structure to many communities of street people.

At the most observable and lowest point of street society are those who literally populate the streets, or abandoned underground structures, panhandling, moving along, doing prostitution and drug deals, resting or engaging in other activities, then moving on to places where they can rest for the night or even set up encampments.

But there are also highly organized communities, where there are leaders, rules, well structured societies, organized behaviors and ways of looking out for the members of the community or getting help when needed. 

The term “street people” could be expanded to include regularly, if not constantly present people who supply drugs, run prostitution rings, put street people to work in legal and illegal activities. The criminal components of the street population can, in some cases, be very powerful, very large, very well off, constantly present and can operate under the equivalent of corporate business plans. Many, especially the drug organizations and cartels, even have their own law enforcement set ups.

Every major urban center has a serious matrix of services and facilities for supporting, regulating and enforcing the laws that apply to  the street population. From special law enforcement details, to food and medical services, the structure is in place for both outreach into the street population and for the street population to seek help. Also, there are any number of programs that are funded and designed to assist with re-entry to society.

As a result, the term “street people” can be expanded to include those who are involved with the street for the bulk of their day as they provide public safety and public service.

One more expansion of “street people” includes those who are legitimate and illegitimate street vendors and who run established businesses on a particular street. These individuals have a regular presence and have regular interactions with all people who populate a particular street.

In summary, the segment of society that are called “street people” does not need to be strictly defined as unemployed, on drugs or alcohol, dropouts from society or homeless. Street people are also people who, in one way or another, spend the bulk of their day on the urban and some suburban streets.