Unstable housing is the result of several issues related to economic development diverging from social development (see: https://bit.ly/logement-et-cohesion-sociale). Amongst these evils, poverty, relative cost of living, addiction and mental health are generally the factors leading to a risk of homelessness, chronic or episodic.
Homelessness is not a choice unless the situation avoided is considered far more serious. It is a generally negative, stressful and distressing experience.
Homelessness as a term, describes the situation of an individual or of a household that does not have access to adequate, stable and permanent housing, or who does not have the immediate possibility of obtaining one.