[sirakov]

Primarily this statement.

"Several homeless families whose children attend local schools told the Guardian that they had considered moving to cheaper real estate markets, such as the agricultural Central Valley, but there were no jobs there."

Buy why not look evan farther? The US is much larger than California. There are places which much cheaper costs of living in the midwest and the south. Seems stubborn that you must stay in California.

[rad88]

They are at a disadvantage trying to find work on the other side of the country due to currently being homeless on the West Coast. People look for work starting nearby and then at increasing distances because that is the practical way to find work and minimize the risks and costs (financial and otherwise) of moving.

But if they were guaranteed a life in Illinois or North Carolina, maybe they would move? You and I don't know, but there is no reason to suspect they are simply being stubborn or foolish. It's entirely natural and rational to want to live, with your kids, in roughly the same region continuously.