That's a reasonable point, but the reality is that a lot of people actively avoid the shelter system. (Including me.) So some people seeking shelter will be visiting a relative or staying in a hotel temporarily, not handily corralled like penned animals in the shelter system so they can be conveniently counted by the powers that be.
It's a myth that homeless people are all entirely penniless. Many of them have income, they just don't have enough income to support a middle class lifestyle.
Homeless individuals may have alimony, social security, disability, a retirement check or similar income. They may also work.
When housing is expensive enough, it's possible to have a full-time job and be unable to cover rent. Homeless individuals often have various personal challenges that make roommates even less desirable than average, and there are plenty of roommate from hell stories even without such issues.
My last two years on the street, I managed to go to a hotel periodically. Towards the end, this was about once a month.
When the drought in California finally broke with record-breaking deadly storms, I got up, saw my usual "safe from the storm campsite" was probably under 6 to 10 feet of water, and decided to take out a Payday loan to seek shelter in a hotel for three nights. This was, "coincidentally," late January.
You know, the part of the year when these counts get done.
It's a myth that homeless people are all entirely penniless. Many of them have income, they just don't have enough income to support a middle class lifestyle.
Homeless individuals may have alimony, social security, disability, a retirement check or similar income. They may also work.
When housing is expensive enough, it's possible to have a full-time job and be unable to cover rent. Homeless individuals often have various personal challenges that make roommates even less desirable than average, and there are plenty of roommate from hell stories even without such issues.
My last two years on the street, I managed to go to a hotel periodically. Towards the end, this was about once a month.
When the drought in California finally broke with record-breaking deadly storms, I got up, saw my usual "safe from the storm campsite" was probably under 6 to 10 feet of water, and decided to take out a Payday loan to seek shelter in a hotel for three nights. This was, "coincidentally," late January.
You know, the part of the year when these counts get done.