Are Homeless People Dangerous?

BY Kyle J. Cassaday. LAST REVISED ON August 20th, 2023.

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facts and statistics say maybe

Facts and statistics on violence among the homeless paints a surprising picture. This article explores if homeless people are dangerous.

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You leave work and take a shortcut through an alleyway consumed by darkness. You hear rattling and clanking somewhere ahead in your path. Illuminated by the cold fluorescent glow of a streetlamp, you see the metallic reflection of what appears to be a shopping cart. You approach closer. More clanking...

A man emerges from the shadows placing a handful of aluminum cans in a shopping cart. A camouflage baseball cap: that's what you notice first, then long and dark hair, knotted, fraying this way and that. It's a homeless person! He then becomes aware of your presence.

Run! A voice inside you screams! Wait! Another voice prevails. Are homeless people usually dangerous?

Facts and statistics

i A man in a suit runs from the danger of his own shadow.A man in a suit runs from the danger of his own shadow. | Are homeless people truly more dangerous than ourselves?
  1. Homeless individuals are less likely to commit violent crimes than the non-homeless individuals (New York University)
  2. Homeless individuals are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime, especially if they are homeless women, teens, or children than non-homeless individuals ( the State of Washington, Department of Commerce)
  3. Public perception frequently equates to homelessness and crime. (Amy Donley, University of Central Florida paraphrasing Barak, G. (2022)
  4. "Many domiciled people believe the homeless are easily capable of violence and thus fear being victimized" (Donely)
  5. Homeless people have higher incarceration rates than non-homeless people, but the crimes that they are convicted of are generally considered non-violent nuisance crimes. (Donley)
  6. "The most typical crimes [committed by the homeless] was for public intoxication followed by theft or shoplifting" [found Snow, Baker, and Anderson in 1989]. They also found that the majority of crimes were committed by homeless men who were under 35 years of age, had been on the streets for longer periods, and who had previous contact with the mental health system." (Donley)
  7. A larger proportion of homeless people than non-homeless people are mentally ill
  8. But most individuals with serious mental illness are not dangerous and most acts of violence are committed by individuals who are not mentally ill. (Treatment Advocacy Center)
  9. Individuals with serious mental illness are victimized by violent acts more often than they commit violent acts, however. (Treatment Advocacy Center)
  10. No evidence suggests that people with mental illness are more dangerous than individuals in the general population. (Treatment Advocacy Center)
  11. Around 26% of homeless people have a substance abuse disorder (CAUF Society).
  12. "Research indicates that up to 75% of individuals who begin treatment for a [substance abuse disorder] report having engaged in physical assault, mugging, using a weapon to attack another person, and other violent crimes. (Tamera Martens, MA)

The facts of statistics are rather clear. Homeless people are even less likely to be violent than non-homeless people, except for the 20 some odd percent of people who have a substance abuse disorder, even though non-homeless people are more likely to suspect that the homeless are more dangerous than themselves.

So the ultimate answer to our questions is...

Yes. Homeless people are dangerous, but not much more than you or me.

further reading

This article focused exclusively on are homeless people dangerous. What it focused little to none on, however, is what is it like to be homeless...

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WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE HOMELESS?

Read "What is it Like to be Homeless - this is what it is like."

READ ARTICLE

key takeaways

  • Homeless individuals are less likely to commit violent crimes then non-homeless individuals
  • Many people believe that people are more dangerous if they are homeless but the research tells otherwise
  • If homeless people do commit crimes they're usually non-violent ones
  • Many of the homeless suffer from a mental illness but the mentally ill commit less crimes than non mentally ill persons do
  • But many homeless people also have a substance abuse disorder. Violence among drug users is alarmingly high.
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thank you for reading