I was homeless for a year in my late teens. But I also felt it didn't hurt me because I was young enough to still feel that it was a choice of my own, and I did go to school.
As the article points out, only a third of homeless are addicted, so the problem is not really about the homelessness itself. It's about losing hope and being alienated by your own community. I always wondered why so many homeless people like to flock around where it's crowded.
I didn't actually feel "homeless" in a bad way. Someone we knew usually had a place where we could crash. And some source of food and money. Weed and LSD were always available, and sometimes psilocybe and peyote. But then, this was decades ago, before "homelessness" became a thing.
I'm also reminded of my own time living on the road. In my late teens through early 20s, as an illegal immigrant. And indeed, I spent some of that time in LA and SF. But mostly in the Pacific Northwest. Living in the forest, and squatting.
But it wasn't that bad, because I had many friends. And it was fun to drift aimlessly. But eventually, I went to college and grad school, so hey.