1. Introduction
Homelessness is one of the most complex contemporary social and urban issues, extending far beyond the mere absence of shelter and encompassing broader dimensions of poverty, social exclusion, citizenship rights, spatial justice, and urban quality of life. In recent decades, growing attention to this phenomenon at both global and national levels has demonstrated that homelessness is not simply a physical or housing-related problem; rather, it constitutes a multidimensional experience of social deprivation and exclusion from formal societal structures. In Iran, however, narrow and one-dimensional definitions of homelessness have often reduced the phenomenon to rough sleeping or the presence of individuals in public spaces, thereby reinforcing security-oriented and regulatory approaches. Moreover, the lack of reliable statistics, the absence of a comprehensive definition, and institutional disagreements among responsible organizations have posed significant challenges to policymaking in this field. The central research question of this study concerns how homeless individuals and urban managers perceive one another's roles and positions. Focusing on Tehran, this research sought to reveal the gap between urban managers' perceptions and the lived experiences of homeless individuals and to examine the implications of this gap for urban governance and policymaking.

2. Literature Review
The literature indicates that homelessness is a multidimensional phenomenon embedded within political, social, and economic contexts and cannot be reduced solely to the absence of shelter (Busch-Geertsema et al., 2024; Tipple & Speak, 2005). Previous studies suggest that homelessness manifests in diverse forms, ranging from rooflessness to unstable housing, and emerges through the interaction of structural factors such as poverty, housing crises, unemployment, and ineffective policies with individual factors including health problems, substance abuse, and traumatic life experiences (Bramley & Fitzpatrick, 2018; England et al., 2024; Ward et al., 2024). Furthermore, the literature emphasizes the role of governments and urban management in providing housing, social support, and economic empowerment, while demonstrating that purely housing-oriented or control-based policies are insufficient for addressing homelessness effectively (Meda, 2009; Bose et al., 2023). At the same time, narrative approaches, by emphasizing the voices and lived experiences of marginalized groups, provide a framework for achieving a deeper understanding of homelessness and reducing the gap between policy and lived reality (Sandercock, 2004; Toolis & Hammack, 2015). Few studies have examined homeless individuals' narratives alongside urban managers' perspectives, a gap this study sought to fill.

3. Methodology
This study adopted a qualitative approach and employed narrative inquiry as its primary methodological framework. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with urban managers and homeless individuals, field observations, and the review of relevant documents and records. Participants were selected to ensure access to diverse narratives from the two principal groups directly involved in the issue of homelessness. Following data collection, thematic analysis was applied to identify, categorize, and interpret the principal themes emerging from the data. This method enabled the extraction of underlying patterns of meaning embedded within participants' narratives and facilitated a systematic comparison of the perspectives of the two groups. The analysis focused primarily on how homelessness was defined, the perceived roles of responsible institutions, experiences with existing policies, and mutual perceptions between homeless individuals and urban managers.

4. Results
This approach primarily focused on managing the visible manifestations of homelessness and reducing the presence of homeless individuals in public spaces. Interviews and document analysis further indicated that existing policies were characterized by the absence of a comprehensive definition, insufficient data, institutional fragmentation, and short-term interventions. In contrast, homeless individuals viewed homelessness as a consequence of structural exclusion, systemic poverty, economic insecurity, inadequate support, and the denial of citizenship rights. Their narratives portrayed homelessness not simply as a lack of shelter but as an experience of invisibility, marginalization, and social exclusion. Many participants argued that current policies prioritized control over empowerment and failed to address the underlying causes of homelessness. Shelters and support centers were commonly perceived as temporary measures rather than lasting solutions.
The findings also highlighted significant weaknesses in inter-institutional coordination. Organizational overlap, conflicting responsibilities, the absence of shared information systems, and the lack of a clear lead authority were identified as major obstacles to effective governance. As a result, homelessness remained a cross-sectoral issue, and policy responses continued to lack coherence and long-term effectiveness.

5. Conclusion
The findings indicated that a significant portion of the inefficiency of existing homelessness policies stemmed from the fundamental divergence between the ways urban managers define the problem and the lived experiences of homeless individuals. While urban managers primarily emphasized the administrative and regulatory dimensions of homelessness, homeless individuals perceived it as a consequence of structural inequalities, social exclusion, and deprivation of citizenship rights. This perceptual gap had led many policies to focus on controlling visible manifestations rather than addressing underlying causes. Accordingly, the study concluded that effective responses to homelessness required a transition from coercive and regulatory approaches toward human-centered, empowering, and socially just strategies. Listening to the voices of homeless individuals, recognizing their lived experiences, and redefining the problem from the perspective of marginalized groups constituted essential prerequisites for designing more sustainable and effective policies for urban homelessness governance.