I honestly and sincerely believe that most people simply don't know how to fix this and that is an underlying cause of the "lack of political will." It's why I research answers and have for a long time and write about it. I sincerely believe that if I can pinpoint the pain points and viable solutions, there will be people who will act on it and if they succeed, others will be happy to copy them.

Once someone is homeless for a while, it's hard to help them because they develop mental health and substance abuse issues if they didn't already.

I fully agree that being homeless is traumatic enough that it creates mental health issues. I feel like I have some kind of financial and social PTSD from nearly 6 years on the street.

But I think the perception that homeless people are all junkies is likely rooted in prejudice. It takes money to get high all the time. Serious drug users I've personally known had jobs, sometimes quite well-paid jobs.

You don't snort tons of cocaine by panhandling. I mostly saw evidence of alcohol and marijuana use by other homeless people. Granted, there are some hard core addicts who are homeless and that gets a lot of press, but the "face of the homeless" tends to be the most visibly homeless and problematic. The reality is there are homeless people with jobs, going to college, etc and doing all they can to not be discovered for fear of being fired, etc.

The statisitics back this up, as well. The top causes of homelessness for individuals and families are economic[1].

[1] https://nlchp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Homeless_Stats_...

I once tried to volunteer with a local non-profit for homeless people. It was clear that the city was actively thwarting their efforts.

There are myriad issues that put one at risk of ending up homeless, such as disability, health issues and various other barriers to regular employment. Helping people with those issues, regardless of housing status or financial status, is a better way to reduce the incidence of homelessness overall.