I had to do a fire drill after building several new jobs, then I deactivated all the housing (including sheep farms), did another fire drill, then soon afterwards did another, and they finally started getting jobs close to their homes. When homelessness reached about 1-2%, they all started abandoning their homes, jumping homelessness up to 84%.
This is a known issue and Bast is working on it. We appreciate your patience!
(Spends life on forums)