Why would one want to be homeless?

My impression is along the lines of "misery loves company" If your choice in life was to let go and not try harder to reach success, why not joins thousands who are in the same boat as you? that population could very well be a "family unit" in and of itself. I'm thinking that group of people is just another part of diversity that we all have to live with and be challenged by.

Few would choose to be homeless. Those that say they like to be homeless are likely suffering from a mental illness or substance abuse.

Depends on the person, in one way it's total freedom. You're free of work, bills, commitments, car payments, etc etc...

And then there's people who genuinely have some sort of psychological condition. Sometimes they're stuck on the streets for so long that it's what they come to know and fear leaving it, much like the Iranian man that was kept in a French airport for years because he couldn't find a way to retreive his stolen passport. When finally given the go-ahead to leave years later, he was already so mentally locked to the airport terminal that he has refused to leave it.

Some people believe it is a kind of freedom (living in cardboard boxes, rummaging in dumpsters, all your possession in a shopping cart; some kind of freedom)

Some have a mental disability and cannot do what it takes to sustain living in a house or apartment.

Some don't care

Well, I think some of the homeless people have mental problems and some are lazy and some are addicted to drugs and can't focus on anything else.

I think the remaining few probably like the freedom (no bills, no taxes, no angry boss) and just don't care too much about material possessions.

The saddhu are hindu monks who give up all possesions, including their home, and travel as an act of devotion and loyalty to religion.

Freedom - from the worry you might lose your home. You can live day to day without a care in the world, especially if you know there's so many people to give you hand-outs or money for food. You have no security..........but you get used to that, and you have absolute freedom.

I would guess that 80% are addicted to drugs or alcohol, 10% are psychologically unable to hold a job or borderline mentally handicapped and some are just down on their luck!

Well, isn't it obvious they prefer to live like that opposed to living according to the lousy system our government currently has in place that dictates who is allowed to survive and who isn't?

If given a chioce, very few would choose to be homeless. Yes, I would agree with you that there are some people wholikes this lifestyle..