I wonder if the story is really true, that we have a large middle class homeless problem. If we do we are in trouble, because you are correct, it is getting worse, the great recession is now hitting state and local gov as well as the private sector.
Some of the people mentioned were truck drivers in New Mexico.
With the new NAFTA trucking rules, they are out of a job. Mexican trucks can cover that area for a fraction of the cost.
Things are decent here, but in other areas where my family live there are a lot of “ghost” people. They are homeless, but the kids still go to school and they dress well. They are also unemployable, since they have lost their address and many companies won’t hire someone who has been laid off.
My neighbor has taken his son’s family back in because of a similar story.