Myths of Homelessness Part 8: “Most Are Dangerous or Criminals”

One of the most persistent myths about homelessness is that unhoused people are inherently dangerous. The reality is far more human—and the data show they are far more likely to be harmed than to harm others.

I lived unhoused for over two years couch surfed here for a few months and there for a few months in-between staying in my van for a total of a year (totaling three years of different levels of homelessness), and the fear I experienced wasn’t from other homeless people—it was from everyone else. I worried constantly about being robbed while I slept in my van. I hid that I was homeless from employers, customers, even most of my friends, because the stigma of being “dangerous” or “criminal” would have destroyed the business I was trying to rebuild.

The truth? The most dangerous thing about being homeless is being homeless. You’re vulnerable to theft, assault, harassment—and you have nowhere safe to go when it happens. The people I met on the street weren’t predators. They were trying to survive, just like me.

The Reality: In high-stakes environments like our streets and public spaces, true risk management means separating real safety threats from the instability caused by systemic gaps. In Putnam County, the perceived link between homelessness and crime often stems from misunderstanding “survival mode”—behaviors driven by a lack of basic resources rather than malicious intent. (This builds on Part 1‘s discussion of employment barriers and Part 5‘s examination of how we criminalize survival acts.)

When disorder appears in public areas, the instinct is often to demand stricter ordinances or crackdowns. From an operations standpoint, that’s treating symptoms, not causes. Without designated spaces for daily needs (bathrooms, water, rest, case management), we unintentionally create “problem corners” that concentrate visibility and tension.

Survival Mode vs. Criminal Intent

There is a critical difference between intentional criminal acts and “crimes of poverty” or survival behaviors (e.g., loitering, trespassing for shelter).

• The Resource Gap: Visible presence in public spaces is often a symptom of having nowhere else to go. Without a day center, people default to streets, parks, or business districts—amplifying perceived disorder.
• Data Over Fear: National studies consistently show people experiencing homelessness are significantly more likely to be victims than perpetrators of crime. For example:
  • They face violent victimization at rates around 14–21% annually, compared to roughly 2% in the general population (research summarized in *Violence and Victims*).
  • Over the past 23–24 years, at least 1,923 reported acts of violence have targeted homeless individuals, with roughly 29–30% fatal, meaning hundreds of lethal attacks (National Coalition for the Homeless).
  • In Los Angeles, where unhoused people are about 1% of residents, they represented roughly 24% of homicide victims in 2022. In another recent year, they were suspects in about 11% of homicides, showing they are disproportionately victimized, not driving most serious crime.
  • Overall, unhoused individuals are far more vulnerable to assault, theft, and violence—often from housed perpetrators—than they are to commit serious offenses against others.

Most “crimes” linked to homelessness are minor, survival-related (e.g., public intoxication, loitering), not violent threats. This echoes Part 6 on how criminalization worsens cycles rather than solving them.

In Putnam County, we see this dynamic play out predictably. When someone living in the woods is robbed of their belongings, they rarely report it—because they fear police will move them along instead of investigating the crime. When a woman sleeping in her car is harassed, she drives somewhere more isolated, making herself more vulnerable. The invisibility we discussed in Part 7 isn’t just about being unseen—it’s about being unprotected.

The High Cost of “Moving People in Circles”

Enforcing camping bans or vagrancy laws may create the appearance of progress, but it backfires operationally.

• Strains Law Enforcement: Officers become “geographic managers,” cycling people between locations instead of focusing on serious threats to public safety.
• Destroys Accountability: Displacements frequently result in lost IDs, Social Security cards, medications, or broken caseworker connections—barriers that prolong street time and reduce pathways to jobs and housing.

I witnessed this cycle firsthand multiple times at Walmart—police asking people in vehicles to leave. Those people didn’t disappear. They just drove to another parking lot, lost another night’s sleep, and the county paid for the officer’s time to accomplish nothing. As we showed in Part 6, this costs taxpayers approximately $85 per day while solving nothing.

This “move-along” cycle creates the appearance of action without resolving the underlying problem.

The Intelligence Myth

Another damaging stereotype: that homeless people lack intelligence or capability. Beth, who shares her experience as @voiceofbeth on Instagram and Threads, challenges this directly: “A lot of people who have never been homeless equate homelessness with a lack of intelligence. In my experience…the people that I have found to be homeless, they are some of the most amazing people that you will meet…I’ve met some of the most creative, some of the most brilliant homeless people that you wouldn’t even believe it.”

She describes meeting Shawn and Becky in the Biloxi-Gulfport area, who transformed a trash pile into an elaborate camp with pathways lined with tiny sticks and a handwashing station made from an old basin—demonstrating creativity and resourcefulness most housed people never need to develop. “By the time this dude was done with it, this thing was amazing.”

Her observation gets at something important: “Homeless people—when you see a homeless person, I can almost guarantee you they have a higher than average IQ. And that’s why they’re homeless, too, is because they can’t exist within a lot of the social structures we have today.” The point isn’t that all homeless people have high IQs—it’s that homelessness doesn’t equal incapability. It equals circumstances.

The R.I.S.E. Strategy: Coordination, Stability, and Real Safety

Our R.I.S.E. Initiative prioritizes structured solutions over punishment. It is about creating order through resources, not enabling chaos.

• Phase 1: The Day Center — A centralized, low-barrier hub open to all for case management, skills training, bathrooms, and support. This reduces loitering in business and residential areas by giving people a professional space to go—lowering visible disorder and building stability.
• Phase 2: The Shelter — A high-barrier facility for those ready to commit to structured pathways toward permanent housing, with case management, employment support, and accountability measures.
• Proactive Engagement — We partner with local businesses and neighborhoods to address concerns head-on. A managed facility brings predictability and safety for everyone, aligning operations with both compassion and accountability.

The Bottom Line

We cannot arrest our way out of a housing crisis. Real public safety comes from giving people a stable place to go—not endlessly moving them in circles while they remain vulnerable to crime.

Real safety is built through resources and accountability—not fear and displacement. By providing structured pathways like R.I.S.E., we help the unhoused regain footing while reclaiming safe, professional environments in our downtowns and neighborhoods. This aligns with Part 1‘s core message: Myths distract from proven, compassionate solutions.

Get Involved:

• Join the Coalition or Volunteer for the Rapid Response Team
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• Share this post to your Nextdoor or Facebook groups to challenge the narrative.

Sources:

[1] National Health Care for the Homeless Council – Violence and Victims study

[2] ABC News – Why experts say some unhoused people are unfairly assumed to be dangerous

[3] National Coalition for the Homeless – Violence & Victimization

[4] National Coalition for the Homeless – Violence and Hate Against Unhoused Americans 2020-2022

[5] Crosstown LA – More danger on the streets: murders of unhoused individuals rise

[6] AP News – LA, NYC killings spark anger, raise risk for homeless people

[7] UMass Boston – Victimization and Homelessness: Cause and Effect

[8] NIH – Persistent Homelessness and Violent Victimization Among Older Adults

[9] HuffPost – Anti-Homeless Hate Crimes Detailed In New Report

 

 

Guest Voice: Beth shares her experience of homelessness across multiple states on Threads and Instagram as @voiceofbeth. Her full testimony is ‘Voices from the Street // Beth: Sober, Employable, and Breaking Every Stereotype‘