Regardless of what "most peoples' experience" is, people tend to remember things that are extreme. So, the smelly, ranting, alcoholic sticks in one's head. Th

Regardless of what "most peoples' experience" is, people tend to remember things that are extreme. So, the smelly, ranting, alcoholic sticks in one's head. The person sitting quietly at the BART station with a sign, not so much. Someone shooting up in the middle of the station, hell yeah. Who remembers anyone who's simply camping for the day at the public library and using it to try and search for jobs? I can tell you, I've seen all of those and more. I worked with homeless people long term in a shelter for 2 years, and, of the folks I came into direct contact with every day, I don't think 95% of them could survive contact with the real world of employment, paying rent, etc. due to disability (mental or physical), addictions, and/or general lack of a support system. Granted, I worked with people who were not in the shelter's higher tier programs (where housing was provided for a set period, and job assistance provided, in exchange for attending training and religious sessions). The more vulnerable ones, the ones I worked with, were the ones you'd see out on the street, collecting cans and bottles or panhandling. People "hate" the homeless because the ones they come into contact with who are visibly homeless are often not functional members of society. Simply put, they violate social norms in a way that disgusts most people. Nobody "hates" someone who's couch surfing or living in a car, but who's clean, not an addict, and is trying to get out of the situation the best they can.