The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has documented 1,650 acts of violence against homeless individuals by housed perpetrators over the past 17 years (1999-2015). These crimes are believed to have been motivated by the perpetrators‘ biases against people experiencing homelessness or by their ability to target homeless people with relative ease. The crimes include an array of atrocities such as murder, beatings, rapes, and even mutilations.

NCH has found startling data regarding the number and severity of attacks. However, the true calamity may be even worse that these reports imply. Because the homeless community is treated so poorly in our society, many attacks go unreported and unrepresented. Therefore, we cannot know the full scope of these abuses. Hate crimes against the homeless community are a vital issue in need of public attention. Over the last 17 years, NCH has determined the following:

• 1,657 reported acts of violence have been committed against individuals experiencing homelessness
• 428 victims have lost their lives as a result of the attacks
• Reported violence has occurred in 48 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia
• Perpetrators of these attacks were generally males under age 30; most commonly they were teenage boys

No Safe Street: A Survey of Hate Crimes and Violence Committed against Homeless People in 2014 & 2015 documents the known cases of violence against individuals experiencing homelessness by housed individuals in those two years. The report includes descriptions of the cases, current and pending legislation that would help protect homeless people, and recommendations for advocates to help prevent violence against homeless individuals.