[nfw2]

I agree blaming the homeless is oversimplifying a complicated issue, but I don't think it's evident that shortage of housing is the primary cause.

There are plausible explanations for non-causal correlations between housing costs and homelessness. For example:

- homeless tend towards warm climates, which have higher housing costs because most people prefer warm climates

- homeless tend towards cities, where they can more easily find support. Cities also have higher costs of living because they are densely populated

Looking at the list of cities with the most homelessness per capita, the vast majority of them are temperate year-round. http://www.citymayors.com/society/usa-cities-homelessness.ht...

[jimbobimbo]

>Cities also have higher costs of living because they are densely populated

Isn't population density supposed to introduce efficiencies that would lead to lowering costs? I think, that's the usual argument against suburban sprawl.