'LOST' ANGELES: How liberal policies helped turn a homeless problem into a full-blown crisis. From the comments:

I have personally seen this mess grow for years. Yes, there are some mentally disabled, but the majority of the homeless are not, and believe it or not, they are homeless because they want to be. Go offer one of them a job and see what the response is. They are with like-type people who share their love of drug addiction. This problem will never be solved in Los Angeles or anywhere else as long as the homeless continue to get free money, food, tents, and needles. Stop rewarding those who are not able to display personal responsibility. Take those who have mental problems and drug addiction and civilly commit them to institutions. Build more mental institutions, not housing units because the majority of the homeless want to be on the street, not in a housing unit. Quit being political and become practical...

More reason to permit - even encourage - involuntary committment to mental health facilities.