1. Introduction
The phenomenon of “rough sleeping” is a relatively new phenomenon in big cities of Iran. Since the beginning of modernization in Iran and with growth of migration rate to large cities and increased income gap, metropolises of Iran have faced such phenomena as suburbanization and hut living, but rough sleeping is a new social issue especially in Tehran city. It indicates to the absence of social relations that can create a sense of belonging in individuals. Therefore, lack of shelter reflects only one aspect of social deprivation in a group of people who often face multiple economic, social, physical and psychological problems. In any society, homeless people are generally considered as the most vulnerable and marginalized members of urban society with little ability to organize their lives naturally. According to Tehran municipality officials, there are currently more than 20,000 rough sleepers in Tehran, of which about 2000 are reported to be women. 
Due to the low number of studies and the relatively new phenomenon of rough sleeping and how it is perceived in the present situation, it is necessary to acquire and expand the knowledge and awareness about it. On the other hand, the special contextual conditions of Iran and the use of indigenous views in analyzing and monitoring of social problems every few years add importance for conducting this study. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the status of rough sleeping in Tehran, Iran based on the experiences and perceptions of male and female drug addicts living on streets.

2. Methods
In this study, interviews were conducted with 20 drug addicts (9 males and 11 females) living in cardboard boxes (mean age= 36.2 years). A purposive sampling method was used to recruit them who first had the experience of substance abuse and then experienced rough sleeping and were able to express their experiences and memories. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview and field note taking and observation. Interviews took 30-75 minutes to complete. Sampling continued until no new concepts were produced. By content analysis, some concepts were extracted and classified into categories and subcategories. After open coding, categories and subcategories were developed and paradigms were applied. Finally 1254 semantic units, 18 initial codes, 8 main categories, and 2 concepts were yielded (Table 1).




3. Results
Results of content analysis based on the interview with 20 participants are summarized in Table 1. The process of rough sleeping had two steps: (a) Leaving home voluntarily (to protect family or escape from family problems) or involuntarily (being expelled from home and losing the roof over the head), and (b) Being homelessness which had four main categories: Elusive life, informal and contravened subsistence, involving in exploitative relationships, and loss of individual/social identity.

4. Discussion and Conclusion
The present study investigated how drug addicts in Tehran become rough sleeper based on theory of “survival at any cost”. The causal factor that created the phenomenon of rough sleeping was home leaving, voluntarily (to protect family or escape from family problems) or voluntarily. The contextual factor was the risk of physical and financial harms due to shelter seeking in streets. The intervening factor included gender differences (being woman and having seductive feminine beauty) which not only influenced the process of becoming/not becoming homeless, but also affected the individuals’ strategies. Rough sleeping can lead to the loss of individual and social identity, internalization of distorted identity, being forgotten and formally humiliated. 

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
All ethical principles are considered in this article. The participants were informed about the purpose of the research and its implementation stages. They were also assured about the confidentiality of their information and were free to leave the study whenever they wished, and if desired, the research results would be available to them.

Funding
This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors. 

Authors contributions
All authors equally contributed to preparing this article.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.