diff --git a/builder/azure/common/devicelogin.go b/builder/azure/common/devicelogin.go
index 8d053f802..ea177638a 100644
--- a/builder/azure/common/devicelogin.go
+++ b/builder/azure/common/devicelogin.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
+	"os/user"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
@@ -15,7 +16,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/Azure/go-autorest/autorest/azure"
 	"github.com/Azure/go-autorest/autorest/to"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/useragent"
-	"github.com/mitchellh/go-homedir"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -148,9 +148,13 @@ func tokenFromDeviceFlow(say func(string), oauthCfg adal.OAuthConfig, clientID,
 // tokenCachePath returns the full path the OAuth 2.0 token should be saved at
 // for given tenant ID.
 func tokenCachePath(tenantID string) string {
-	dir, err := homedir.Dir()
-	if err != nil {
+	var dir string
+
+	u, err := user.Current()
+	if err != nil || u.HomeDir == "" {
 		dir, _ = filepath.Abs(os.Args[0])
+	} else {
+		dir = u.HomeDir
 	}
 
 	return filepath.Join(dir, ".azure", "packer", fmt.Sprintf("oauth-%s.json", tenantID))
diff --git a/builder/oracle/oci/config.go b/builder/oracle/oci/config.go
index b7db218db..948b2fc23 100644
--- a/builder/oracle/oci/config.go
+++ b/builder/oracle/oci/config.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"log"
 	"os"
+	"os/user"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -16,8 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/packer"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/template/interpolate"
 	ocicommon "github.com/oracle/oci-go-sdk/common"
-
-	"github.com/mitchellh/go-homedir"
 )
 
 type Config struct {
@@ -95,11 +94,17 @@ func NewConfig(raws ...interface{}) (*Config, error) {
 
 	var keyContent []byte
 	if c.KeyFile != "" {
-		path, err := homedir.Expand(c.KeyFile)
+		u, err := user.Current()
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
+		if u.HomeDir == "" {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Unable to determine the home directory for the current user.")
+		}
+
+		path := filepath.Join(u.HomeDir, c.KeyFile)
+
 		// Read API signing key
 		keyContent, err = ioutil.ReadFile(path)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -249,15 +254,19 @@ func NewConfig(raws ...interface{}) (*Config, error) {
 	return c, nil
 }
 
-// getDefaultOCISettingsPath uses mitchellh/go-homedir to compute the default
+// getDefaultOCISettingsPath uses os/user to compute the default
 // config file location ($HOME/.oci/config).
 func getDefaultOCISettingsPath() (string, error) {
-	home, err := homedir.Dir()
+	u, err := user.Current()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
 
-	path := filepath.Join(home, ".oci", "config")
+	if u.HomeDir == "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("Unable to determine the home directory for the current user.")
+	}
+
+	path := filepath.Join(u.HomeDir, ".oci", "config")
 	if _, err := os.Stat(path); err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
diff --git a/helper/communicator/config.go b/helper/communicator/config.go
index fa4e053c3..117602d33 100644
--- a/helper/communicator/config.go
+++ b/helper/communicator/config.go
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"net"
 	"os"
+	"os/user"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"time"
 
 	packerssh "github.com/hashicorp/packer/communicator/ssh"
@@ -13,7 +15,6 @@ import (
 	helperssh "github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/ssh"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/template/interpolate"
 	"github.com/masterzen/winrm"
-	"github.com/mitchellh/go-homedir"
 	"golang.org/x/crypto/ssh"
 	"golang.org/x/crypto/ssh/agent"
 )
@@ -73,10 +74,16 @@ func (c *Config) ReadSSHPrivateKeyFile() ([]byte, error) {
 	var privateKey []byte
 
 	if c.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
-		keyPath, err := homedir.Expand(c.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+		u, err := user.Current()
 		if err != nil {
-			return privateKey, fmt.Errorf("Error expanding path for SSH private key: %s", err)
+			return []byte{}, fmt.Errorf("Error trying to determine the current user for the SSH private key: %s", err)
 		}
+
+		if u.HomeDir == "" {
+			return []byte{}, fmt.Errorf("Error locating home directory for the SSH private key")
+		}
+
+		keyPath := filepath.Join(u.HomeDir, c.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
 		privateKey, err = ioutil.ReadFile(keyPath)
 		if err != nil {
 			return privateKey, fmt.Errorf("Error on reading SSH private key: %s", err)
@@ -260,8 +267,19 @@ func (c *Config) prepareSSH(ctx *interpolate.Context) []error {
 		errs = append(errs, errors.New("An ssh_username must be specified\n  Note: some builders used to default ssh_username to \"root\"."))
 	}
 
+	// Figure out the current user's home directory
+	u, err := user.Current()
+	if err != nil {
+		errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("Unable to determine the current user from : %s", err))
+	} else if u.HomeDir == "" {
+		// If the home directory is empty, then set `err` so that later a failure will happen
+		err = fmt.Errorf("Unable to determine the home directory for the current user.")
+	}
+
 	if c.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
-		path, err := homedir.Expand(c.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+		path := filepath.Join(u.HomeDir, c.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
+
+		// The `err` variable here comes from an empty home directory
 		if err != nil {
 			errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf(
 				"ssh_private_key_file is invalid: %s", err))
@@ -279,7 +297,9 @@ func (c *Config) prepareSSH(ctx *interpolate.Context) []error {
 			errs = append(errs, errors.New(
 				"ssh_bastion_password or ssh_bastion_private_key_file must be specified"))
 		} else if c.SSHBastionPrivateKeyFile != "" {
-			path, err := homedir.Expand(c.SSHBastionPrivateKeyFile)
+			path := filepath.Join(u.HomeDir, c.SSHBastionPrivateKeyFile)
+
+			// The `err` variable here comes from an empty home directory
 			if err != nil {
 				errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf(
 					"ssh_bastion_private_key_file is invalid: %s", err))
diff --git a/helper/communicator/step_connect_ssh.go b/helper/communicator/step_connect_ssh.go
index 6517a04a7..b8b5ee3ce 100644
--- a/helper/communicator/step_connect_ssh.go
+++ b/helper/communicator/step_connect_ssh.go
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import (
 	"log"
 	"net"
 	"os"
+	"os/user"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -14,7 +16,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/multistep"
 	helperssh "github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/ssh"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/packer"
-	"github.com/mitchellh/go-homedir"
 	gossh "golang.org/x/crypto/ssh"
 	"golang.org/x/crypto/ssh/agent"
 	"golang.org/x/net/proxy"
@@ -178,9 +179,9 @@ func (s *StepConnectSSH) waitForSSH(state multistep.StateBag, cancel <-chan stru
 
 		// Then we attempt to connect via SSH
 		config := &ssh.Config{
-			Connection:             connFunc,
-			SSHConfig:              sshConfig,
-			Pty:                    s.Config.SSHPty,
+			Connection: connFunc,
+			SSHConfig:  sshConfig,
+			Pty:        s.Config.SSHPty,
 			DisableAgentForwarding: s.Config.SSHDisableAgentForwarding,
 			UseSftp:                s.Config.SSHFileTransferMethod == "sftp",
 			KeepAliveInterval:      s.Config.SSHKeepAliveInterval,
@@ -227,11 +228,17 @@ func sshBastionConfig(config *Config) (*gossh.ClientConfig, error) {
 	}
 
 	if config.SSHBastionPrivateKeyFile != "" {
-		path, err := homedir.Expand(config.SSHBastionPrivateKeyFile)
+		u, err := user.Current()
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf(
-				"Error expanding path for SSH bastion private key: %s", err)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Unable to determine the current user for the SSH bastion private key: %s", err)
 		}
+
+		if u.HomeDir == "" {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Unable to determine the current user's home directory for the SSH bastion private key.")
+		}
+
+		path := filepath.Join(u.HomeDir, config.SSHBastionPrivateKeyFile)
+
 		signer, err := helperssh.FileSigner(path)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err