[niwell]

Not sure I fully agree about rent. Mentioned this in a previous post, but the type of ultra-cheap bedroom rentals available in rooming houses and other SRO buildings are disappearing in our cities fast, and I suspect this is contributing to visible "organized" homeless communities. We're talking $800+ for a bedroom in a suburban townhouse - this is both considerably higher than it was when I did it, but also much higher than what you could get a room in a rooming house for (generally $200-$300). It's probably doable for those who are gainfully employed, even if not in great jobs. But virtually impossible for anyone on government support.