That's funny because I have kind of noticed that sort of thing with homeless people as well. I haven't really seen many since I started hormones, but pre-T I used to see them all the time, and I noticed that they, more than anyone, really vocally emphasized my femaleness (if that makes sense how I worded it). They were a lot more likely to call me "sweetie", "miss", and so on than people who aren't homeless. I think it's something to be polite.
Also, I know that homeless people tend to talk to women more, or people they perceive as more feminine. It's a vulnerable situation, so you want to talk to someone you perceive as "safe." If you're not particularly masculine-acting, perhaps they translate some of those behaviours into "female" more so than other people would? Since they have to be more perceptive to body language for their safety.