I almost became homeless myself recently because the landlord wanted his house back after me renting the place for 19 years. It wasn’t my fault, and I simply cannot afford rent anywhere else with my SSDI income.
All the usual suggestions and arguments in favor of homeless sweeps and victim blaming fall apart for people like me: shelters are not an option because I don’t always stay sane when exposed to too many people; I’m not on recreational drugs at this time, so I can’t be dismissed as deserving of homelessness for that reason; I’m taking my meds as I should; I can’t get HUD vouchers because I’m sleeping on a relative’s porch; mental institutions are not an option unless I’m in imminent danger of hurting myself or others; etc.
The reality is that a person in need often faces roadblock after roadblock when trying to find housing, and there aren’t enough funds handed out to solve the problem. I’m just grateful to be one of the lucky few who is stabilizing with a roof over my head, incomplete as it is.
I think most people just won’t care until it happens to them.