There was a pretty extensive outreach campaign before they cleared the square. The hard truth is that a lot of, not all, but a lot of the individuals currently homeless are doing so at least partially by choice.

There are a ton of possible reasons for this, whether it’s an unwillingness or an inability to abide by sometimes strict shelter rules, substance abuse or mental health issues, fear of their remaining possessions being forfeited or stolen, just feeling safer and more comfortable on the street than in an unknown environment, or whatever else. The government is not empowered to involuntarily commit someone who’s not an active danger to some facility.