This is a very powerful story.
I hope things do improve for him/her (Brook). Unless I'm reading it wrong Brook is the person in the story and the poster is someone else?
Good on you for doing this. It is a sad fact that there is little help for homeless people. Most are there due to adverse life circumstances which are not their fault.
A large number have mental health problems which are untreated.
The 80s and 90s practice of closing long term mental health care has created a subset of people who are unable to function without a lot of support. It is cheaper for local authorities to just abandon them and let the streets take care of them. Many will succumb to illicit drugs and alcohol.
The sad fact is people are so distracted with modern life that they don't even see them any more.
Governments don't fund helping these people because their invisibility and the fact that many of them don't vote means that it does not serve their purpose. It is not a glamorous cause.
Shame on us and shame on them.
Hopefully things will change and this is an example of how Steemit can do some real good.