[matt-attack]

I think the problem is there are vastly different types of people that we all lump under the term “homeless”. And each of us is likely picturing a different type of person when entering into these conversations. The homeless can range anywhere from:

a single mom who works in an office making 1.5x minimum wage, but whose expenses have risen (perhaps by medical) and she fell behind on rent, and now lives out of her car. Still employed but just doesn’t have the capital to get back on her feet.

To:

A complete drug addicted mentally ill schizophrenic who shits on himself. Hasn’t had a job ever, hasn’t been educated, and can not hold a cogent conversation.

I wouldn’t dream of giving cash to the latter but would certainly consider doing so for the former. Both are homeless. And conversations about solutions to the homeless are fruitless if we treat them the same. The English language is rich and it needs more words to disambiguate these two classes of homeless.