St. Pete among 'meanest' cities for homeless

ST. PETERSBURG - St. Petersburg has been named the second meanest city in the nation for the homeless. The ranking comes from a report by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless. It focuses on specific city measures from 2007 and 2008 that target homeless people.

The report includes information about 273 cities nationwide. It also ranks the top 10 U.S. cities with the worst practices for criminalizing homelessness.

The ranking is based on a number of factors, including the number of anti-homeless laws in the city, and the enforcement of those laws.

The group says most cities do not have adequate shelter space or affordable housing.

The Top Ten Meanest Cities from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless:

1. Los Angeles, CA
2. St. Petersburg. FL
3. Orlando, FL
4. Atlanta, GA
5. Gainesville, FL Top Ten Meanest Cities
6. Kalamazoo, MI
7. San Francisco, CA
8. Honolulu, HI
9. Bradenton, FL
10. Berkeley, CA