To @Celery Man's point, Anecdote time, because I personally know many formerly (and present) homeless. Yesterday I drove a few guys from their homes to recovery meetings. These men each have over 3 years of abstinence from drugs/alcohol.
One guy works construction and gets paid in cash, $300 a week. He has his own section 8 apartment. He was bitching about how his job opportunities are significantly limited due to past felonies and the $60K in past due child support that accrued while he was locked up. If he get a legitimate job with an employer that withholds taxes then the AG's office is going to levy 60% of his income. Let's say this guy's ceiling is $15/hr then that's $600/week gross. . .even without other withholding that means he'd take home $240, which means he'd lose his abode.
I recommended that he go visit the AG's office and state his case. He replied that he has countless times, but the most they would be willing to budge is 1%, and then they act like they're doing him a huge favor.
The other guy is doing fantastic - MHMR has him on the right meds and he lost his SS disability about a year ago so he either has to earn money or live on the streets. Anyway, he's living in a halfway house and bicycling to work at Jack in the box, and he's very proud of his job. He's collected 3 paychecks but he says that the AG is about to torch him as well. I hope he can keep his room at the halfway house after the impending wage garnishments.
Both these guys have been homeless/mentally ill/addicted, and found a way out, or at least a way to get some manageability in their lives.
I bring up the subject of "other compounded financial obligations" because I'd venture many homeless are in the same situation - at some point they were unable to provide for their children and those financial obligations continued to accrue. Same thing with cost of licensing, i.e. they had a DWI or other offense and it would take thousands to restore their right to drive legally. Same thing with probation/parole fees, restitution, etc. Even the IRS gets their piece.
One formerly homeless buddy of mine got a bank account to document his expenses for his house painting business. . .he's actually a single dad to a 5 year old, and the AG's office got delayed in processing court orders (mom got child support for a few months, then in a follow up order she was ordered to pay the dad when it became clear that he was going to be the child's custodial parent, mom's still an addict) He went to pay his day workers and go buy formula for his daughter only to find his bank account had been emptied by the AGs office. Took them a month to refund the money.
So the homeless who do want to become self supporting through their own means are immediately looking at wage garnishment should they attempt to get a traditional job in today's economy. That's a huge obstacle.
Not saying they shouldn't pay obligations, but IMO it's a modern day version of debtor's prison.