Homeless man stabbed woman in the neck after she let him stay at her home, Georgia police say

A woman who opened up her Georgia home to a homeless man was paid back with a serious injury when he stabbed her in the neck, police said.

Police said they were called about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday to the 500 block of Straight Street in the city of Dalton. They attended to a woman with life-threatening injuries who was transported to Hamilton Medical Center and then airlifted to a second hospital.

Witnesses told investigators that the woman was trying to kick the man out of her home after letting him live there for a while. When she stood in the doorway to keep him out, he stabbed her in the neck and fled the scene, police said.

Dalton police later arrested 27-year-old Shaquae Robinson for the crime. He has been charged with aggravated assault, but police said more charges are being considered.

The victim remained unidentified and had undergone surgery for her injuries.

The homeless crisis is a major concern for policymakers. Experts estimate about 550,000 people experience homelessness in the United States, which constitutes about 0.2% of the total population. Every year about 13,000 homeless people die on the streets.

A Los Angeles Times poll in 2019 found that 95% of voters in Los Angeles considered homelessness a major problem. While 49% said lack of affordable housing was a major cause of homelessness, 90% said that mental illness and substance abuse were also major drivers of the crisis.

A separate poll of San Francisco residents in 2021 found that 88% believed homelessness was worsening, while 70% said that their quality of life had declined.

Here's a local news report about the incident: