Homeless by Choice™, would be more appropriate
The media use the homeless as props during Republican administrations. Hear much about the homeless during the Clinton years?
This has been going on in Hollywood since at least the 60's, the beacon of stardom, cheap and plentiful drugs, and the "sex, drugs and rock and roll" lifestyle calls them. I used to have to deal with them when i was hanging out in Hollywood at the peak of the 80's boom when Guns N' Roses debuted - most of these kids *chose* to run away from home and think living on the streets is glamorous - lots of the wannabe rawk stars back then even thought it gave you more credibility to be "from the streets", and lots of musicians who made it would lie about it in interviews, claiming to have lived on the streets to make them look tough, when we all knew that were trust fund babies or had stripper girlfriends who paid the bills on comfy apartments. We used to talk to these kids, they're just fanatically naive - they thought getting a job was "selling out", they just did'nt get it - they expected free handouts, got bitter and nasty when you did'nt "share" what you had with them, and were more concerned with their drug use than eating, all the while badmouthing everyone and everything because society refuses to fund their extended vacation from responsibility. (sound familier?)
I just can't summon any pity for these kids, we used to try and help them, but they'd just spit in your face if you tried to do more than just hand your money and possesions over to them, rip you off blind if you turned your back, and laughed at you if you tried to talk to them about getting out of all that.
There's plenty of organizations that try to help these kids out, like Children Of The Night, donate if you want, but the best solution is to give these kids car fare so they can go home. Nothing forced these kids there, they're rolling the dice for "stardom", and childishly refusing to better themselves so they can perpetuate a silly rawk and roll posture they think makes them better "artists". Like the article says, most of them will try it for a while, and when it gets colder at night around November, they'll skedaddle back home.
If you make it easier for them, there will just be more of them, thinking it's cool to live off handouts, spare change and dumpster diving.