You don’t need to be the NY times to collect data when we have the internet. We live in the 21st century now, and not the 20th. Here’s some data on chronic homelessness:

https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Homele...

That took me less than a minute to find, though it’s not the first source I’ve read on the subject

The recurring theme between several studies is that of the homeless, 80% are able to recover in less than a year; while 20% are chronically homeless due to mental disabilities or drug addiction

I just find it ironic that you complain about a practice that you do yourself