Those are probably not the same people. Not every homeless person begs. Some of them do really minor things for money, or only take some of the services offered by the government, etc.
Ok, I can see the security problem, but why dont they all move to Florida, at least they wont freeze in the winter. If I were homeless, I would go to a warmer climate, why dont they?
Whole batches of problems here.
-
Governments with tight budgets don’t want to spend money to pick up litter – or else they’d already have their sanitation department do it.
-
If the homeless person sent to pick up litter happens to be unstable and attacks a person, is the government responsible for that?
-
Resistance by taxpayers to “make work” programs when all these people need to do is quit drinking/taking drugs and they could get a real job, etc.
-
How much are you willing to pay? Enough to get them housing? That’s a lot. Not enough to get them housing? Then what’s the point?
Transportation may be a problem, first of all. People are loath to pick up a hitch hiker who looks scruffy or “dangerous.” Train tickets are expensive, and even getting the money together for a bus ticket might be difficult.
Also, they may have attachments to their community. They know where to go if they need help, which places will give them free food, and where the safe places to sleep are located. Florida would be unknown territory.
from Ringo:
You’ve got it pretty much right. Another part of the “permanent” homeless population is the group who likes to blame their problems on everybody else. “I’m this way because of so-and-so … the government…” Those are the people who tend to refuse to do anything to help themselves and instead will actually demand free assistance. Unfortunately for them, even the people who want to help don’t take kindly to people demanding things from them. That kind of homeless person also tends to think that shelters are somehow required by law to help them, no matter what they do or how they act. Many of them end up being unpleasantly surprised to find out that the shelters don’t have to do anything. Our shelter here, in fact, is 100% privately funded and operated - we accept no government money, and so we’re completely autonomous. We even refuse money if the donor starts trying to place conditions on it.
An interesting side note (unrelated to Ringo’s post): despite the fact that “homeless advocates” seem to be mostly liberals/Democrats, the vast majority of the people (men anyway) in homeless shelters tend to be conservative/Republican (myself included). And speaking from direct, intimate observation, the reason seems to be that the “conservative” homeless people are the ones who are more willing to admit that they themselves are at fault for their troubles, and to conform to the expectations of the shelter, and do their share to help both the shelter and themselves. The liberal homeless people, on the other hand, are the ones who seem to complain the most, and who expect “handouts” and free help, because it’s society’s fault that they’re homeless. They’re the guys who will flat refuse to contribute, and so they tend to be more likely than conservatives to wind up back out on the street. One of the guys here, who works at the front desk, made an interesting observation. After having heard many of these guys blame their problems on “Reaganomics” and Republicans in general he said, “I notice that most of these individuals have been homeless for many years. And I want to ask them, 'Was it warmer under the bridge when a Democrat was President? Was it more comfortable sleeping beside the railroad tracks when a Democrat was President? Did that bottle of Night Train taste better with a Democrat in the White House?”
Even the residents of a homeless shelter draw a distinction between “homeless person” and “bum” 
This, from todays New York Daily News.
“Homelessness in the city also is on the rise. The number of families entering shelters for the first time increased to 7,087 from 6,360.For single adults, there was a rise to 10,758 from 10,087.”
I have known some homeless people who refused to stay at the shelter because they said it was full of bums, thieves and drug dealers.
I have known people who enjoyed sleeping outside, and one guy who was psychotic and could be very disruptive and sometimes violent. Psych meds aren’t perfect yet. The guy who enjoyed sleeping outside was a street performer and the last time I saw him he was catching a bus out to Reno to take his street gig to a paying venue. The psychotic guy stayed at the shelter until he was permanently banned for his disruptive behavior. He eventually was given ‘permanent’ social security subdsidised housing.
Three weekends ago I learned my cousin was in my town and homeless. I knew he had been in trouble with the law, heard he had cleaned himself up and just needed a break. I spent a day and a half searching before I finally found and brought him home.
We put down one rule - no drinking or drugs while he was staying with us. Mr. Adoptamom agreed to pay him for working with him as a helper. M-Th went well. He is a hard worker and the best house guest we’ve ever had.
Friday rolls around and Mr. Adoptamom pays him. Within a very short time my cousin wanders off and comes home drunk and probably stoned on crack - not a penny left to his name.
Mr. Adoptamom and I research homeless shelters the next morning, find one close by, pay the $7.50 per night charge through until the next Friday when Mr. Adoptamom will pay him again.
The shelter has a breathalyzer test he must pass each evening and a rule that once you check in (between 4-9 pm) you may not leave. Cousin makes it for 4 nights then disappears again after Mr. Adoptamom loaned him $20.
This past weekend, cousin was picked up by the police and will serve the remainder of his sentence for parole violations. Addiction is a powerful thing.
The lesson I learned from this experience? People have to WANT help in order to take advantage of the doors opened for them.
You are absolutely correct. Our mission does it similar (we only use the breathalyzer after we notice other indications of intoxication) to what you describe, and we see that kind of thing a lot.