People aren’t outside in the cold because they “want” to be. They’re outside because addiction, mental health, and homelessness collide in a way most folks never see. And instead of support, they get labels “addict,” “junkie,” “failure.” But none of that explains why this keeps happening. Facts behind what we see: • Over 600,000 people experience homelessness on a single night in America, and numbers rise sharply in winter. • Substance use and mental health disorders are major drivers of chronic