Definition
Used to refer to individual people or groups of people who services find difficult to serve or work alongside.
The bigger picture
Labelling people as ‘hard to reach’ implies they are the problem and don’t want to be ‘reached’. It suggests people are ‘hidden’, and are not equal citizens. It overlooks barriers to accessing services, for example stigma, lack of trust, lack of awareness, geographical barriers or communication differences. It can also be used if people are not doing what services want or expect them to do.
Saying it differently
Alternative terms including ‘easy to ignore’, ‘hardly reached’, ‘seldom heard’, ‘under served’ and ‘under represented’ all aim to put the emphasis on the failures of services rather than blaming people. However they can all easily become blanket labels, like ‘the seldom heard’ – so use with caution.