Homelessness endures because he don't think of them as being real and valuable. It cost us more to ignore the problem than to solve it, yet we persist in being inhumane.   About 540,000 people are homeless in America.  25% are children.   The balance are more men.  Most homeless women have jobs, but find it difficult keeping a job without a place to sleep, clean up, get mail, etc. 

If each American was willing to pay $35/year in tax, we could provide room and board to all the homeless.  A large fraction of the homeless have mental illness. The best place for them to get treatment is in jail.  The Chicago jail handles more mentally ill people than any other facility, jail or otherwise.  When the people are freed from jail, they are not given any meds until they return to jail on the next cycle. 

I suggest if you run into a homeless people that you try treating them like a real person.  Say hi, sit down and talk with them, hear their story.  Be prepared to lose your judgement of them.  Volunteer in shelters or soup kitchens for a closer look.  Do you know that many homeless have pets to keep them company.  Of course, pets are not allowed in shelters or soup kitchens.  That's silly that we would try to accomodate an homeless person cause they are not real, really. 

Namaste, from the sad, Ancient Texan

A Good Citizen of the Earth.