In law, no fixed abode or without fixed abode is not having a fixed geographical location as a residence, commonly referred to as no fixed address. This is applicable to several groups: * People who have a home, but which is not always in the same place: ** Those whose occupation requires them to live permanently on

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

ship A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...

s or movable

oil platform An oil platform (also called an oil rig, offshore platform, oil production platform, etc.) is a large structure with facilities to extract and process petroleum and natural gas that lie in rock formations beneath the seabed. Many oil platforms w ...

s, or to travel constantly (as showmen, for example). **

Nomad Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

ic peoples (e.g. Indigenous Norwegian Travellers and

Romanichal The Romanichal ( ; more commonly known as English Gypsies) are a Romani people, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom. Many Romanichal speak Angloromani, a mixed language that blends Romani language, Romani vocabulary with English syntax. Roma ...

) and traveller groups (e.g.

Irish Traveller Irish Travellers (, meaning ''the walking people''), also known as Mincéirs (Shelta: ''Mincéirí'') or Pavees, are a traditionally List of nomadic peoples#Peripatetic, peripatetic Indigenous peoples, indigenous Ethnic group, ethno-cultural g ...

Scottish Gypsy and Traveller groups Scottish Romani are the Romani people of Scotland. This includes Romanichal (locally also known as ''Border Gypsies'') and Lowland Romani (''Lowland Gypsies''). Scottish Travellers are non-Romani groups indigenous to Scotland who live or tradi ...

New Age travellers New Age Travellers (synonymous with and otherwise known as New Travellers) are people located primarily in the United Kingdom generally espousing New Age beliefs with hippie or Bohemian culture of the 1960s. New Age Travellers used to travel be ...

Norwegian and Swedish Travellers The Romanisael (more commonly known as Swedish Roma and Norwegian Roma or Swedish Taters and Norwegian Taters; ; ; ), are a Romani subgroup who have been resident in Sweden and Norway for some 500 years. The estimated number of Romanisael in Sw ...

); as well as individuals who adopt a mobile lifestyle, living in

narrowboat A narrowboat is a particular type of Barge, canal boat, built to fit the narrow History of the British canal system, locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, b ...

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and ca ...

s or the like. **People with multiple residences who frequently move around these addresses. **Persons who temporarily live with people such as friends and family. * People considered to be

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

. The term "of no fixed abode" or "no fixed address" is frequently used as a description by the police and a

euphemism A euphemism ( ) is when an expression that could offend or imply something unpleasant is replaced with one that is agreeable or inoffensive. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the u ...

by the media for somebody who is without a home. * People may be homeless because of some natural disaster or conflict, which may have destroyed their home. Refugees fleeing a war zone are also regarded as homeless. A person with no fixed address may have mail addressed to a service. Such individuals may also encounter challenges in accessing government social services, registering to vote, and may be deprived of many common services.

Ships

Ships may have a mobile

letter box A letter box, letterbox, letter plate, letter hole, mail slot or mailbox is a receptacle for receiving incoming mail at a private residence or business. For outgoing mail, post boxes are often used for depositing the mail for collection, altho ...

that can be placed on the dockside whilst a ship is moored in

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

or the crew are on shore leave, allowing the delivery of mail to those living on the ship—for as long as the vessel is in that port.

References

Homelessness {{Accommodation

Ships

See also

References