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 While these attacks happened all across the country and in many states, some states stand out in having a significant number of incidents.
- Florida leads all states with the greatest number of attacks – 31.
- California came in second with 22 attacks.
- Nevada came in third with 14 attacks.
- Ohio came in fourth with 13 attacks.
With this growing problem becoming more and more apparent in communities around the country, some states, cities, and advocacy groups are doing something positive to address the issue.
- California passed a law in 2004 mandating police officer training on hate crimes against homeless persons, particularly those with disabilities.
- Maine passed a law in 2005 that allows judges to take into consideration a victim’s homeless status when considering sentencing for the offender.
- A statewide public education project in Florida to educate people about homelessness was initiated by the National Coalition for the Homeless in conjunction with AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers.
- The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust has created a curriculum/video about homelessness that is played in schools throughout the county to give young people a greater understanding of homelessness.
In addition, several legislative initiatives are currently underway to address this growing problem.
- Two bills have been introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 2216 and H.R. 2217, by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson to add homeless persons to two existing federal hate crimes laws.
- Bills to add homeless persons as a protected class to state hate crime statutes are currently being considered in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Alaska.
Even though the trend of violence against homeless persons has risen over the past decade, there are steps that we can take to put an end to this terrible trend. Advocates, service providers, policymakers, and members of the public can take a stand by:
- Supporting H.R. 2216 and H.R. 2217, the two bills before the U.S. House of Representatives that would add homeless status to the Hate Crimes Statistics Act and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act.
- Supporting state legislative efforts to add homeless persons as a protected class to state hate crime statutes.
- Initiating police trainings to help law enforcement officers better understand homelessness in general and how to prevent and manage hate crime against homeless persons.
- Engaging in public education initiatives in schools to educate young people about homelessness and to humanize homeless neighbors.
- Advocating against city measures that criminalize homelessness and for more constructive approaches to homelessness.
- Advocating for more affordable housing and permanent supportive housing to bring an end to homelessness for those homeless members of our communities.
-NCH
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