This is unnecessarily darwinian in its conception. It also ignores that the major NE cities invest more into building shelters because they decided people freezing to death on the sidewalk was unacceptable.
I second the op, it's hard to just be homeless when it gets freezing cold. Put differently, if I had to choose a place to be homeless, I'd start by choosing a place with good weather, that's a (hypothetical) fact.
People start where they are. Hitch hiking and train jumping are both very dangerous. It's no simple matter to "choose a place with good weather."
Free bus rides to wherever in the US based on someone else's word over phone call
Do you know that it's true that per-capital NE cities invest more into shelters? View from Seattle, an enormous amount of money is spent on homeless outreach and shelters that I have never seen reflected in any other area (other than the Pacific rim).
Have you ever been to a homeless shelter? There's a reason homeless live on the street even in areas that have shelter availability.
Minnesota houses it's homeless in the winter. But people do migrate.
Which puts them in the system, and they get the help they need or they rebel and leave- facing the choice of migrate or die. It’s not pretty but it’s the reality, because nature is a harsh teacher.