Sure, but not really the policy outcome that people are thinking of when they talk about solving the "homeless problem". The guy passed on in the subway car next to his own feces is not going to be helped in any way by these policies.

There are no good solutions here that respect the rights of the individual and also our collective right to live in a civil society. Involuntarily detention through the criminal justice system (horrifying) or the mental health system (completely dehumanizing) are the best tools we have, other than having compassionate people who will devote time and effort and individual attention to the victims of mental health or pathological substance abuse problems.

No reason why mental institutions cant be compassionate and devote time and effort to individuals. Much better than letting these people live in their own excrement in the subway.

Well, maybe "no reason" is a bit strong. Organizations cannot be engineered to be compassionate; compassionate individuals can make an organization more compassionate, but the bottleneck will always be finding people who are compassionate, have subject matter expertise, and are willing to work for the wages offered.

And even with compassion there are still problematic situations. Involuntary confinement of any sort requires a careful application of principles -- when is it okay to confine someone; when and how do you decide when they can or must be released; who can make the judgment calls and what checks are in place to prevent abuse. These are questions that seem to have no good answers.

It’s the non-transient population that cause the vast majority of externalities associated with homelessness. We’re not talking about Jeff who is homeless because he’s crashing on Aunt Karen’s couch for a month.

Put another way:

It is undesirable to be impermanently homeless.

The permanently homeless make it undesirable for you.