This is a problem created by Liberals.
Up until the 1970s most big cities had what were called “flop houses”. Perhaps 50 cents a night for a bed. No place I would want to stay but it was inside and out of the weather.
The do-gooders via regulations closed them all down.
Next, minimum wage was just that, minimum and reporting and record keeping requirements were let us say, flexible.
A business could hire a casual worker to do odd jobs and both would benefit. That is almost impossible today.
There were also state run hospitals where the really unstable people could be sent if not for a cure, at least for a place to live with food, clothing and shelter.
There were also vagrancy laws.
Charity was provided by locals, via churches are civic organizations. The one thing this guaranteed was that no one would be able to make a living off of charity.
Liberals in all their wisdom wanted to make life better for the “homeless” and all they did was make more of them.
“Homelessness” as it stands today was created by liberals and will not be solved by liberals.
“Up until the 1970s most big cities had what were called “flop houses”. Perhaps 50 cents a night for a bed. No place I would want to stay but it was inside and out of the weather.”
Back in the 70s when I was a poor college student, I spent a week in a buck-a-night place while I was waiting for my rental room to open up. It was actually OK. Two to a very small room, one toilet/shower per floor, and a sink and hot plate at the end of the hall. I kept all my stuff in my car, and my roommate was also a college student, so I didn’t have to worry about loonies. I could see where a guy between jobs could stay there until he got on his feet.
I think the present day homeless are a completely different story, however. I don’t like to be on the same street as some of them, and I’d never share a room with them.