Providing housing is not the solution. A previous partner of mine worked as a social worker for an organization that did "housing first". She would house homel

Providing housing is not the solution. A previous partner of mine worked as a social worker for an organization that did "housing first". She would house homeless individuals in apartments, advocated on their behalf to the landlord, get them some basic furniture, and helped them get financial assistance to afford rent and food. That part was easy. The biggest problem she faced was that people would leave their homes. She would come by a few days after housing them and they weren't around. She'd call them up only to discover they'd taken the train over to the next town and spent the night on the streets there. One lady complained that she thought the apartment was too small and preferred to be outdoors. She housed a family of 4 who were sleeping in their car, only to find that they crossed the border a few days later because the father thought that there were better opportunities there. Homelessness is not about "not having a home". It is a mindset and lifestyle that people develop over many years. The best solution is to try to stop the incoming generation from developing this lifestyle - get 'em while they're young. Keep troubled kids in school at all costs. Double down on drug and addiction education. Police the shit out of poor neighborhoods. And then provide some health and wellness support for those who choose this lifestyle. Because that's all you can do.