Homeless

No one should have to sleep outside unless they want that life. In return they should be required to contribute as they can in the form of community service in or out of the shelter. They should be required to enroll in substance abuse programs and/or career education programs to attack the reason behind their homelessness.
It is estimated that nearly half the homeless are mentally ill and incapable of holding down a full time job. Anyone coming to a shelter must be evaluated and those suffering from mental illness must be given appropriate medicine and gotten on government financial assistance programs that are available for the mentally ill. Even those should be required to do community service as they are able. We do a much better job of using mentally challenged to clean our parks and do other community service than we do in using the abilities of our mentally ill.
Those who refuse shelter housing and the requirements that go with it, should not be allowed to sleep in business and tourist areas but be given a dry place under freeways or in industrial areas where they will feel safe but not interfere with the lives of others.
Social service workers assigned to the homeless problem should have their offices at the shelters where they can provide counseling and other services directly to the homeless and get to know their clients in order to provide maximum assistance.