Kat,

You wrote:
"I see the guys standing on street corners here begging and think, 'why
can't you all go and find work?  There's work out there for you - you just
need to find it. Believe me, it's out there.'"

Don't forget that a lot of these people are unable to work due to mental
illness.  A lot of the homeless are veterans who are plagued by PTSD, many
are schizophrenic.  The cuts in health care and affordable housing have left
them with no where to turn, and no one to care for them.  It's very easy to
say "go find work", but it's hard to do.  Very few places are hiring,
especially in cities like DC, where many people are unemployed.  Some of
these people are lazy, but a lot of the homeless are working and unable to
afford housing, unable to find jobs, or too mentally ill to work.  Don't
paint all of them with the same brush.

~Joy~