Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Leads Discussion on Violence Against The Homeless

Washington, DC-(Tuesday, July 10, 2012) – Today, Congresswoman Johnson ,the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness, and the National Coalition for the Homeless, hosted a briefing on violence against the homeless.  The goal of the briefing was to raise awareness about the violence facing homeless men, women, children, veterans, elderly, and the disabled.

“Protecting some of the most vulnerable people in this Nation should be a top priority of this Congress,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “Raising awareness is just one component of finding a comprehensive solution to that not only protects the homeless from violence, but also reduces the total number of people living on the streets.”

The panel included experts from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, law enforcement, a former victim of violence.

Congresswoman Johnson is one of four co-founders and co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness. Congresswoman Johnson has also authored legislation to include hate crimes against homeless individuals in the uniform hate crimes statistics collected by the Department of Justice. The bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek,Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla