Mental Illness.
We didn't have a homeless problem until the ACLU won a lawsuit that forced the closure of many mental institutions. The closure simply dumped the mental patients onto the sidewalks, and here they are.
Bellevue in NYC is the perfect example.
When they closed the mental ward, they reopened the facility as a homeless shelter. Leave at 8am and come back for dinner.
I had occasion to need to be in the waiting room at Bellevue to see a specialist for my son at NYU Med Center, and the homeless litter the waiting room. I took a comb out to straighten said son’s hair and a homeless guy came up and asked if he could use the comb. Freaked us out!
At one time, Rudy had eliminated a lot of the problem. Now, it’s a freak show.