What issues do the homeless populations pose for law enforcement? What can law enforcement officers do to assist the homeless population?

Without being aware of the text used in your class, I can only say that the state of homelessness, often leads to incarceration. Unfortunately, this is a very broad statement for what can be a variety of reasons..... anything from vagrancy to defending one's turf, and everything in between. Homelessness, incarceration, and the eventual return to homelessness is one very large and viscious circle. It is widely believed that police interaction with the homeless should be accompanied by the presence of social services. Incarceration, on the other hand, should include job training and assistance with job placement in order to help break the cycle. Observation and assessments of mental health disorders need to be addressed medical professionals.

As you can see, caring for the homeless and proactively working to alleviate the reasons they're on the streets isn't a job for law enforcement alone. Partnerships and specialized programs are a necessity.