Homelessness and things like health care are used as the stick to threaten labor into working under less than desirable conditions. If it were purely left into being a technical and resource pursuit, it would have been solved yesterday. Yes some would need to be institutionalized, others would need to be minded enough just to keep their lives in order, and some just need to be saved from addiction or untenable financial problems. But politically handling any of those seems to be a hot potato problem.

It's not an issue of available housing. There's more than enough. A segment of the population is purposely stigmatized and societally stranded to fend for themselves out in the elements. If they even do something as simple as making shelter for themselves, it's torn down by law enforcement. Somehow that is "for their safety" even though nobody seems to care if they die from disease or exposure.