Unfortunately, a sizeable percentage of homeless also suffer from mental illnesses that directly impact their ability to hold down a job. A friend of mine who works at a metropolitan hospital constantly sees homeless people there, by their entrance not to beg but because they want to be admitted, to get treated, to get off the streets.

I'm only speaking about the experience, not the people themselves. If you want to learn how to live workfree (I think that may actually be a thing) in the US, being homeless on the streets of Santa Monica would teach you a lot. But if I was Craig, I'd be looking for the guys who work at a Hormel plant in Kentucky instead.