The more comfortable you make being homeless, the more folks will just say screw it and become homeless. The homeless lifestyle may have a higher risk but responsibility for anything goes way down. My guess is only a small percent of the homeless in SF are homeless because of mental issues. I think most chose the lifestyle because free food, mostly temperate climate and a city that pretty much tolerates anything they do.
We've had some major problems with homeless camps down here in Southern California.
Most these people are homeless due to drug problems or are people recently released from jail due to our over crowded prisons.
Areas near these homeless camps have major problems with petty crimes like stolen bikes, etc.
I know people who work at some of the food pantries that give out free food to the poor.
While there are some people who really appreciate the help (usually not homeless, just poor), most of the homeless types tend to be demanding and threatening.
They are told that when they arrive to volunteer, they should not talk to or even make eye contact with the people waiting in line, for their own safety.