Actually, I misspoke and over-simplified. I got approved for SSDI in 3 months, so that does happen, even for people a lot younger tham myself. I don't know enough about his circumstances to predict. What helped me was having a long well-documented paper trail of getting psych treatment and being med-compliatent. I got a disability law firm to represent me, and I was very well-organized and did a good job on my paperwork. It's less likely that all those things are true of someone in the streets with a history of substance abuse who is still using. Maybe he'll get approved right away, but I wouldn't bet on it.

How fast one can get a low-income housing subsidy can depend on where you live, among other things. Some communities have even closed down their waiting list to get a subsidy. You have to ask yourself why is it that we see so many homeless people in the street? There are special provisions in some areas for persons who are diagnosed mentally ill and have a history of chronic homelessness. There are organizations that specifically advocate for persons in that category. So he might have extra help available. Still and all, persons who are drinking and drugging can be very inefficient about accessing help. They tend to be not very good at cooperating with agencies that want to help them. At least, that's what I have witnessed first-hand. My brother, who is alcoholic, manages to keep hitting the streets, despite all the help that's been invested in him. (A lot from family, including me, and society at large.) He goes from crisis to crisis. My guess is that golden's friend is heading down the same twisted path.

There are reasons why this guy's family have gotten sick to death of him. He'll probably have that effect, eventually, on anyone who gets involved with him. Of course, that's just me taking a wild guess.