Sarasota, Fla., tried and failed.

Three times in 2005 the city passed ordinances to make outdoor lodging illegal. Twice it failed, but the third time was the charm. With specific wording, including “numerous items of personal belongings are present,” and if the person states “that he or she has no other place to live,” Sarasota can now arrest people living on the streets.

Because of this effort, Sarasota was named the meanest city in America, according to a report published in early January by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.

“We don’t believe it helps anyone to make it easy for people to live on the streets,” said Sarasota City Manager Mike McNees. “We don’t see how it is beneficial to that population.”

The report listed the top 20 meanest cities in the country based on the steps cities are taking to criminalize homelessness. The District and cities in Maryland and Virginia were not on the list.

“Perhaps one day we will do the 20 nicest cities, but there is no ‘nice city’,” said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

The report, “A Dream Denied: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities,” focuses on 224 U.S. cities and how the local government has criminalized homelessness by prosecuting people who sleep, eat or sit in public spaces.

“These practices that target homeless people forced to live in public spaces are not only cruel and counterproductive but frequently violate homeless people’s constitutional rights,” said Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.

Speaking on behalf of Sarasota, McNees said that the ranking of meanest city would have no effect on future city policy. He added that perhaps the National Coalition for the Homeless and National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and Sarasota have different views on how to end homelessness, but they do have a common goal. McNees said his attempt to open dialogue with the organizations were unanswered.

Since the last report was published in 2004, there was a shakeup in the top ten. For example, Las Vegas, which was ranked the meanest city in 2004, had dropped considerably in the rankings to fifth.

“It doesn’t mean that Las Vegas has improved,” said Stoops. “It could still easily be number one, but there are just meaner cities.”

The top ten meanest cities, according to the report, were Sarasota, Fla.; Lawrence, Kan; Little Rock, Ark.; Atlanta, Ga.; Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, San Juan, Santa Monica and Flagstaff.

Lawrence, Kan., was second on the list because of the city’s attempts at combating “aggressive panhandling” and what it considers bad behavior, such as laying or sitting on the sidewalk in a way that causes pedestrians to change their route.

The report also includes examples of how other cities have developed creative solutions to handle homelessness issues rather than resorting to arrests.

For example, Washington D.C. was commended for opening the Downtown Services Center, a day center where 260 homeless people can go when shelters are closed. Through the Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District, various services are provided, including laundry, showers and a morning meal. Social services are also provided regularly at the day center.