I agree with a lot of this, but homeless shelters certainly aren't the place that a lot of the homeless population feel most secure in. One homeless man in Chicago I used to spend many of my coffee or lunch breaks talking with would go into detail about all the times he would be attacked in shelters. Many wouldn't let them in because they lacked ID, or required appointments. Lots require checkins at early hours (7pm). Many were segregated by race and, if he had to stay at one up on the north side, many of the white homeless men would gang up on him. Sexual abuse is rampant in shelters, especially towards the younger population.

He chose to sleep outside in a park most of the time because of all these things, as he preferred it to the shelters.