Choose to be Homeless?

[octopi]

With the spat of homeless-related threads on OOT lately, a question I had a few months ago springs to the forefront of my mind. After reading a statistic about how most homeless people suffer from some pretty extreme mental disorders, I wondered if it was a factor in their life choice. More so if it contributed to them going to the streets, or was a side effect of drinking, using drugs or living on the streets themselves. Chicken or the egg scenario.

Periodically I see some fairly well dressed men panhandling in my city (we have a lot of festivals, foot traffic is high, so there is money to be made in a short span of time if need be) and I wonder if they are really homeless or not, or just 'getting started'. I also know some people who fancy themselves 'social experimenters' and they will try to live on the streets for a bit, but they inevitably return to their bed and tv.

Then I stumbled upon some myspace page or something about kids who 'chose' homelessness and am curious to know if anyone knows someone who has chosen the way of the street and what drove them to it. Did anyone try to help them or persuade them otherwise? How long did they last?