Study: Florida leads nation in reported attacks on homeless

By BRIAN SKOLOFF

Associated Press Writer

The study, conducted by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, found that violent crimes against homeless people nationwide rose 13 percent in 2007, to 160, up from 142 reported incidents a year earlier.

Twenty-eight of those attacks resulted in deaths, according to the "Hate, Violence, And Death on Main Street USA, 2007" report released Tuesday. That's up 40 percent from 2006, when 20 deaths were reported.

It is the third consecutive year that Florida has topped the list, with 48 attacks reported in the state in 2006 and 32 in 2005.

California came in second with 22 reported attacks on the homeless in 2007, followed by Nevada with 14 attacks, the report said. New York had just two reported attacks, both fatal.

Maria Foscarinis, the law center's executive director, noted that the numbers may actually be higher since these are only reported attacks.

Foscarinis could not explain exactly why Florida has had the most attacks but said cities across the state have been "criminalizing" the homeless by banning feeding and sleeping in certain areas.

"When government says we're going to punish people for sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go, I think that sends a message that these people are not really valuable members of society and they're something less than human," Foscarinis said.

A report last year by the National Alliance to End Homelessness found that nearly one-quarter of the nation's estimated 744,000 homeless were living in California in 2005, the latest figures available. That was more than any other state.