Factors in Increase in Homelessness

What has contributed to the increase in homelessness in the USA 

One factor seems to be deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill.

From google AI: “Studies from the late 1980s suggest that homelessness is related to deinstitutionalization”

Another factor especially on the west coast is the increase in voters ability to block the rights of land owners to build for frivolous reasons like increased traffic, neighborhood character etc. See Euclidian zoning.

Which BTW is an extreme form of democracy. It is related to Social Democracy which is a system where workers and citizens get to vote on much more. In a socialist Democracy employees would get to vote on how corporations are run and voters in an are would get to vote on what gets built and much more.

Another factor is the reduction of police power and courts standing up for the rights of those who end up homeless who might in an earlier time been put in jail. One might look at this as a good thing but can lead to more people living on the streets.

Homelessness is a common problem now in most developed countries. Japan seems have overcome it by putting zoning in control of the national government. The national government represents the people in a given area but also the people who would like to live in that area.