Convicted sex offenders registering as homeless
As of November 19, 2007


More than three dozen states allow convicted sex offenders to register with police as homeless or transient, or list shelters or imprecise addresses. This list provides a partial picture based on each state's sex offender registry or interviews with state officials in October and November.

Some offenders are listed as "absconders" or "non-compliant" because they gave police fake addresses or did not register. Where statewide registry figures are unobtainable, city numbers are given.

Alabama: 59 unknown addresses

Alaska: 23 homeless, 130 unknown addresses

*Arizona: 152 homeless; in Phoenix, 23 homeless/transient, 209 unknown addresses and 255 absconders
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Nevada | West Virginia | South Dakota | UT

*Arkansas: 170 unknown addresses

*California: 2,622 transient

Colorado: 31 homeless/transient, 17 unknown addresses, 807 failed to register

*Connecticut: 64 currently or recently homeless, 507 non-compliant

*Delaware: 58 homeless, 78 non-compliant

*District of Columbia: can register at shelters, 31 non-compliant

Florida: can register as homeless; in Miami, 39 homeless/transient, 140 absconders

Georgia: 2 homeless, 492 absconders

Hawaii: 43 homeless, 650 non-compliant

Idaho: 47 homeless/incomplete addresses

*Illinois: 110 homeless, about 1,300 non-compliant; in Chicago: 33 homeless, 98 unknown addresses

*Indiana: cannot register without specific address

Iowa: can register without permanent address; in Des Moines, 8 homeless, 20 unknown addresses

Kansas: 30 absconders

*Kentucky: can register at shelters or churches; in Louisville, 61 non-compliant

*Louisiana: need permanent address to register; in New Orleans, 258 non-compliant (42% of total)

*Maine: can register as transient, but no data provided

*Maryland: 5 homeless, 536 non-compliant

Massachusetts: can register without permanent address; in Boston, 49 homeless/shelter, 29 unknown addresses

*Michigan: 62 homeless, about 10,000 non-compliant

*Minnesota: 59 homeless; in Minneapolis, 9 homeless

*Mississippi: 5 homeless

*Missouri: 22 homeless, 51 unknown addresses

*Montana: 17 transient, 67 non-compliant

*Nebraska: 7 transient, 108 absconders

*Nevada: about 130 homeless, 1,935 non-compliant

*New Hampshire: 27 non-specific addresses, 212 non-compliant

New Jersey: 35 "fugitives" with unknown addresses

New Mexico: 4 homeless, 49 absconders, at least 180 non-specific addresses

New York: can register without permanent address; in New York City, more than 100 at two homeless shelters

North Carolina: 12 unknown/non-specific addresses

North Dakota: 19 unknown/absconders, many list P.O. boxes

Ohio: can register without fixed address; in Akron, 11 homeless

Oklahoma: 544 P.O. boxes only, 839 unknown addresses

*Oregon: at least 100 homeless; in Portland, 14 homeless/non-specific addresses

*Pennsylvania: cannot register as homeless, 586 non-compliant

Rhode Island: 9 unknown/non-permanent address

South Carolina: cannot register as homeless; in Charleston, 22 failed to register

South Dakota: 3 homeless/transient, 21 unknown addresses

*Tennessee: 122 homeless; in Nashville, 17 homeless/non-specific addresses; 29 unknown

*Texas: can register as transient but no state tally provided

*Utah: cannot register as homeless

*Vermont: 6 homeless, 48 "wanted" for failure to register

*Virginia: 225 "wanted" for failure to verify address; in Richmond, 2 homeless/shelter, 4 unknown addresses

*Washington: 564 homeless, 1,311 failed to verify addresses

West Virginia: 8 unknown addresses, at least 21 without specific addresses

*Wisconsin: cannot register as homeless, 10% non-compliant

Wyoming: 9 transient, 6 non-specific addresses, 99 non-compliant

* — Based on interview with state official