There's a "missing middle" that we cannot provide in our current society. Nobody can provide "flop houses" where drugs and alcohol use are ignored unless you're harming someone, so there's nothing between sleeping rough under the bridge and being sober in a shelter.
The liability alone would prevent any non-government agency from doing it, and even the government is scared.
The problem with flop houses that don’t have drug and alcohol restrictions is that the other residents suffer and things fall apart quickly. These aren’t people with great self control. Even homeless with drug and alcohol abuse problems will stay away from these places because they are too dangerous.
It won’t be cheap (likely with security and other support staff you’re looking at one or to staff per “homeless”) but at some point something has to be done, or the status quo continues forever.
That is what the current tiny home movement is for: you don’t have to room with crazy next door, and if you are crazy and burn it down, they are basically disposable.
That’s what I’m thinking - imagine very tiny one room concrete houses on tiny little lots, maybe 10x10 on a 20x20 lot? No idea the numbers, but that’s bigger than a jail cell and they’re damn near indestructible.
The liability alone would prevent any non-government agency from doing it, and even the government is scared.