i wind up talking to all kinds of people. downtown last week, was approached and told the guy, hey i'm short on my mortgage (not) and then we talked for maybe 3 or 4 minutes.  nice day..nice dog. kid was nice...upshot is this kid has a home with parents waiting for him, but he's got that wild hair most teens develop.
  but he wasn't poor or down n out or mentally ill based on by the level of his conversation . His life on the street is a choice he's made. i know that's probably the exception, but i think there are daytime " homeless"  who actually have a roof over their heads every night, tucked into their own bed... - hanging out with the and becoming ... part of their circle the down and out