I think it cuts deeper than that.

The carrot has always been “opportunity” and the stick has always been “homelessness.” People slaved for corporate masters because of the threat of homelessness.

So what happens when you are assured to be homeless, bankrupt, and a facing a lifetime of poverty? If you know you can’t get out of the hole, are you going to go to a soul-sucking job every day?

There’s a line that if you fall below, you get government assistance in the form of SNAP benefits and Medicaid. Heck, the government will give you a cell phone and pay your utilities. You cross that line once you get a full time job. So many people find being destitute to be less stressful and a better lifestyle than the “working poor.”

I think that many people are choosing homelessness because they feel like it’s an easier life than fighting a battle you have no chance of winning. The choose to no longer play.