I wish I could find the source, but I am struggling to, so I will have to paraphrase. It was an interview with someone who lost their job, became homeless for a while, somehow managed to claw their way back to having a home and stable employment.

The gist of the interview was, don't judge the homeless for drugs and alcohol. It's often the only comfort they have. What would really help is a home, but the cost of housing is so high that saving all of your booze money would never be enough to rent an apartment anyway. Might as well spend it on something that will make you feel a little better.