(Washington D.C. – October 22nd, 2026) All across the country, our homeless neighbors are under attack. In Lansing, Michigan, five homeless men have been murdered in the past year, with police raising questions about whether a serial killer is targeted unhoused people. Across Bridgeport and Milford, Connecticut, seven attacks have been reported, with eyewitnesses claiming vigilantes were throwing large rocks and shooting fireworks at people sleeping outside. One person remains in critical condition.

These extreme incidents are part of a larger pattern. This year alone, we've seen reports of dozens of assaults against homeless people, from Suffolk County, New York to Madison, Wisconsin to Fresno, California and beyond. We know these examples likely only scratch the surface of the true scale of this violence against our unhoused neighbors.

"We mourn the five of our unhoused neighbors who have been murdered in Michigan," said Eric Hufnagel, CEO of the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness. "We also know that the limited response from politicians, the police, and the public speaks volumes. The fact that these lives can be so easily overlooked reflects a dangerous tendency to see people experiencing homelessness as less worthy of our attention, protection, and compassion. We must do better. Every person deserves to be seen, valued, and safeguarded by the communities they call home."

"We are calling on Government Governor Lamont and our elected officials to not only condemn these attacks, but to commit to real solutions for our neighbors across Connecticut," said Sarah Fox, Chief Executive Officer at CT Coalition to End Homelessness. That means ensuring people have access to safe, stable housing and the supports that they need, because we cannot protect people from the dangers of living outside if we are unwilling to address why they are outside in the first place. Even here in Connecticut, a state that prides ourselves on looking out for one another, we are not immune to the harm caused by dehumanizing rhetoric."

These assaults come as our federal government intensifies its attacks on homeless people, both with words and with policies. Over the last two years, Trump and his allies have treated unhoused people as criminals simply because they can't afford the rent, called for them to be forcibly removed from city streets, and cheered on a proposal for a government-run homeless detention camp. At the same time, state and local politicians further this dehumanization and attacks, with 15 states and more than 350 cities passing laws that make homelessness a crime. When those in power, from the White House to a local council, treat our homeless neighbors as disposable, they stoke the flames of the anti-homeless violence we are seeing today.  

Everybody, including people who live outside, wants and deserves to be safe. Instead of using their power to attack homeless people, politicians should focus on achieving true safety, which starts with ensuring that everybody has housing and their basic needs met.

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About the National Homelessness Law Center   

The National Homelessness Law Center is committed to protecting the rights of unhoused people across the United States and to advocating for policies that prevent and end homelessness, ensuring that all people have access to safe and adequate housing.