The number of homeless people in the United States has skyrocketed, and with the rise of homelessness comes the rise of crimes committed by the indigent, says a new study.
A recent survey shows that 553,000 people are either living in shelters or on the street, report the New York Daily News.
In New York City, the number of homeless people has grown by over 13 percent during the past few years of the de Blasio administration.
According to HUD officials, a single night's count tallied more than 76,000 people living in shelters or on the streets of NYC.
While most crimes committed by homeless people fall into the non-arrest, misdemeanor category, some violent acts are on the rise as well.
In a recently released report, groping and unwanted touching crimes by homeless people riding the subway have seen an 8 percent increase.
Assaults by the homeless are up 10 percent.
Besides the increase in the number of homeless people on the street, mental illness and addiction problems are also listed as major contributors to crimes committed by the homeless.
A 61-year-old man was smashed in the back of the head by a homeless person wielding a brick, Tuesday evening in Hells Kitchen.
The police arrested 42-year-old Larue Curls, a well-known homeless man from the neighborhood who had 9 previous arrests on his record.
The victim of the assault is listed in stable condition at the NYU Medical Center.
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