> He must have some mental issues.
Maybe not...
> What makes an able-bodied man go homeless.
I’ve met plenty of homeless folk who actually enjoy the lifestyle. As one explained to me:
“I have more freedom and liberty than you do. I have no debts, I have no mortgage, no family to feed, no lawns to mow, no boss, no income tax to pay because I don’t have any income! I don’t give a stuff what Helen Clark and her government think, say, or do. I never get stuck in rush-hour traffic. If it is a fine day out, I can enjoy the sunshine as much as I like, anywhere I like. If it is raining outside, I got several nice comfortable places set up all around the city...”
(Our Patrol had encountered this man — “Jim” — living under a bridge. He had knocked together a lean-to out of old Real Estate signs and Election hoardings, and had McGyvered a broken office chair and mattress together to sleep on. The far end of his lean-to was open, giving him a pleasant view across the river to where the ducks usually congregate. (his pets, perhaps? Or maybe the occasional lunch? Dunno).
“...If I’m hungry I can find something to eat 24x7 and it won’t cost me a cent! Can *you* do that???”
I had to admit, I couldn’t: every word of what he’d said was true. It was just from an unusual perspective. There was nothing mentally disturbed about this man. And he looked very able-bodied and “fit” in an extra lean sinew sort-of-way.
Easier for him to say that in New Zealand. Canada is a bit colder in the winter.