Few people understand how depersonalizing and futile shelters become for many of those seeking assistance from them (“The cold reality of being homeless,” Globe regional editions, Jan. 3). The sad truth is that most of the services currently offered to homeless individuals provide a degrading, demoralizing treadmill to nowhere.

The overwhelming majority of these services are poorly designed to move people off the streets and into more stable living situations, and are grossly under-resourced. Unless they are fortunate enough to be part of a small list, a prioritized, targeted subpopulation, homeless individuals have to wait years, literally, to qualify for a subsidized housing unit or voucher.

Another exacerbating fact is that most of the large shelters for individuals subject them to conditions that fail to meet basic state hygiene and safety codes, such as access to toilets and showers. You could not incarcerate convicted criminals under conditions homeless individuals are subjected to nightly in shelters such as the one on Southampton Street in Boston. So some people opt to take their chances on the street or in encampments.