Reporting of violence against people experiencing homelessness: an analysis of SINAN

This study aims to analyze notifications of violence against people experiencing homelessness (PEH) and the associations between the characteristics of victims, the nature of the abuse, and the perpetrators. We collected data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) from 2015 to 2022, totaling 42,621 records. An annual upward trend in notifications was observed, with a decrease during the pandemic year of 2020 and a resurgence in 2021. Physical violence was the most common type, and most victims were Black individuals. Correspondence analysis showed an association between violence resulting from legal interventions involving firearms, with police officers as the perpetrators. Among Black male victims, physical violence with blunt objects was associated with unknown perpetrators, and bars or similar venues were common locations of abuse. For white female victims, recurrent psychological/moral violence, involving threats and physical force, was more likely to involve known perpetrators such as intimate partners or family members and occurred within the home. These varied profiles highlight the need for public policies that address the distinct vulnerabilities within this population.