Reply #16: There's another (often unmentioned) aspect of mental illness among the homeless:

[struggle4progress]

life on the street is rough enough to drive almost anybody over the edge

If you lose your job for whatever reason -- health problems, say -- chances are you can stay with friends or relatives only for a limited time before you're thrown out. A history like that is stressful enough. Living on the street isn't going to improve the situation. Try finding a place where you can use the toilet after you've been sleeping out in the same clothes for a few days without laundry or shower facilities. And eating right can be iffy. If you get sick, you may not be bouncing back after a day or two. You're defenseless: you can't hide from the wackos by going behind a locked door. Anytime you close your eyes, you wonder what's going to stolen from you while you sleep. No AC in the summer, no heat in the winter. That context will affect your psychological state, faster than you might think