There is def a housing problem. But I'm telling you as someone who's worked with the homeless, lots of them make their way to the west coast so they don't freeze to death in winters here in the midwest. Everything from hitch hiking, to old school train hopping, to begging enough to get a $80 bus ticket, it's not like they have to take anything but themselves. And social services there makes sure they eat etc.
I asked why not move to the south, and was told that most southern metros are conservative and not going to allow them to post up in tent cities and under highways etc. They bus them out, or make life hell for them.
So the west coast is basically mecca if you're homeless, great weather, liberal governments that won't bother you, system in place for social services. No city other than LA would allow a situation like the one that exists in skid row.