I was homeless for several years and I also have had a college class on Homelessness and Public Policy long before that. I still write about homelessness.

I got myself off the street by moving into a cheap, small rental in a walkable neighborhood where my life works without a car. The need to own a car in the US is part of the burden that helps push some people out into the street. If we had more walkable neighborhoods where more people could make their life work without a car, that would help prevent homelessness for people who are currently at risk.

In the US, we straight up just need more housing. We have underbuilt for a long time and that helps push costs up.

We also need more small-ish scale housing in walkable neighborhoods. We have largely zoned those out of existence.

One reason crazy homeless people gravitate to big cities is because that's where they can get services. If you generally help people make their lives work across the US, then you would likely see less of this pattern.