I notice in stories and opinion pieces about homeless the problem is almost always presented as a loss of funding for low income housing, with the loss of jobs being paid only minor notice. 

I try not to state absolutes, but. I can confidently say I have never seen a story that mentions the loss of rooms due to changing in housing laws. 

In earlier decades, how many homeless would be getting through hard times in what were called flophouses? Renting, or sharing, a room with nothing more than a bed and hotplate? Sharing a single restroom, or two, with an entire floor?

"Fair"  housing laws have all but eliminated such accommodations. 

Also greatly diminished, are the spare rooms that might have been rented to outsiders, by families willing to open their homes in order to spread costs. 

Again, laws protecting renters, have made others leery of protracted legal fights that might be needed to kick someone out. 

Ignoring building codes for opportunity villages is a start, but...