Here's another myth that always seems to come up when people want to justify why they should not care about the homeless, that homelessness for most is a choice. That if you really wanted off the streets you would simply work you butt off not to be there. Very few people in that situation are there by choice. Here's the reality of it there are a million ways to become homeless. Yes, some made bad decisions that landed them there but for many things out of their control caused their housing issues. Some are running from an abusive relationship and have no means of support when they flea, some may have been laid off and have run out of benefits, some may have been fired, others may have had an illness or a family member with one that made it impossible to keep up with rent, others may have had their lease come up and not had it renewed and could not find another place, many just can't afford rent because it's just not feasible with their income. Many are mentally ill and have a very difficult time maintaining a residence, some are kicked out by their parents for reasons like turning eighteen or their sexual orientation, others still may have aged out of foster care. The list could go on forever. Of all the reasons one finds one's self homeless choice is rarely a factor. And once you lose your home it can be very very difficult to procure a new one. There are very few programs that will directly help you find housing and if you have no income fewer yet to help with that. There are vouchers like section 8 but those do not guarantee housing and it is very difficult to find a place that fits the requirement for the voucher, and many landlords will not accept the voucher because of the high standards that must be maintained to receive the funding. There are grant programs, but they are highly selective and very limited on funding. There is no program I am aware of in my county that will directly help anyone especially those without a steady income get off the streets. Once homeless if is very difficult to pull yourself out of it. Irregular rental history, bad credit, and no co-signer or an eviction can wreak havoc on any attempt to get a new place. When you're homeless for a significate amount of time the lack of rental references can be brutal. And then there are the rental requirements which can be impossible to overcome. Many rental companies demand that you have great credit and make three times the rent to acquire an apartment, so for a one-bedroom at say 800 you'd have to have a monthly income of 2400 just to be considered and that's not including deposit. If you're on a fixed income forget it. Many places do criminal background checks so if you have anything major on your record you're out. Low-income accommodations have multiple-year waiting lists and demand decent credit as well. To even get a room you...