Homelessness is the result of many factors. The nature of homes, or rather places of residence, versus temporary camps has been defined historically and culturally for the human species. Many animals create structures to live in, others excavate depressions. Still others live in caves or inhabit structures built and discarded by other creatures. In many cases animals simply find limited shelter in temporary settings — to avoid weather conditions or to rest — building nests to sleep in or utilizing existing foliage. Over the past two million years humans have behaved in all these ways. Human-made structures are relatively new, appearing in the last half million years, and some peoples continue to build only temporary windbreaks. The term ‘homelessness’ is a modern classification, although historical sources refer to its varieties. Most modern discussions of homelessness describe it as a phenomenon of modern industrial society created by the inequalities inherent in modern capitalism. This analysis of a specific community in San Francisco describes complex interactions that developed into what can be called, although temporary, a local ‘community’ among the homeless, local residents and business. This unexpected outcome provides insight and gives caution to contemporary planners and policy makers across the globe.