(The Center Square) – Los Angeles will be recognizing the homeless individuals that died before escaping the streets of the city. Dec. 21, the longest night of the year, marks the annual day of observance established by the National Coalition for the Homeless.
And, the homeless mortality rate in California has been growing with almost 2,000 homeless individuals dying in Los Angeles in the last year alone.
According to a County of Los Angeles public health report released earlier this year, the homeless death rate more than tripled between 2011 and 2022, but, the increasing of the homeless mortality rate has slowed. There was a stark difference between 2019 and 2022. From 2019 to 2021, the mortality rate rose 56% while from 2021 to 2022, it rose by only 2%.
“The recent plateau in the overall mortality rate can be attributed largely to a leveling off of the rate of drug overdose deaths, the leading cause of death among PEH for the past six years, and a sharp decline in COVID-19 mortality,” reads the report. “From 2021 to 2022, the distribution of doses of naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medication, saw a two-and-a-half-fold increase in communities most affected by fentanyl overdoses, and the number of reported naloxone-induced overdose reversals nearly doubled. These efforts likely contributed to the rapid leveling-off of the overdose mortality rate in 2022.”
The top causes of death among those who are homeless are overdoses, coronary heart disease, transportation-related injuries, homicide, suicide and COVID-19.
Drug and alcohol overdoses remain the leading cause of death among those who are unhoused, accounting for 37% of all deaths. Additionally, the introduction of fentanyl onto the LA streets has made drug use more dangerous for those experiencing homelessness.
Coronary heart disease accounts for 12% of deaths and was the leading cause of death among those 70 and older. And, 8% of homeless deaths spurred from transportation-related injuries – 95% of which involved pedestrians and cyclists.
Both homicides and suicides reached their highest rates in 2022. Additionally, two-thirds of homicides involved firearms and 5% of suicides involved firearms.
“From 2020 to 2022 the suicide rate almost doubled among unhoused people aged 18-29, and in 2022 this was the age group with the highest suicide rate,” reads the report.
From 2020 to 2021, COVID-19 reached the top five leading causes of deaths in Los Angeles, but it has been slowly decreasing since then. The report also found that the mortality rate among those unhoused is four times higher than the Los Angeles County population as a whole.
“The mortality rates among people experiencing homelessness are a tragedy for our entire community,” said Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. “While it is welcomed news to see a plateau in the overall mortality rate of drug overdoses, we must continue to invest in solutions that reduce mortality. This report is a call to action to urgently bring people indoors and into permanent housing and services — the only way to save lives and end this crisis.”
The report recommends that action be taken to reduce the mortality rate of the unhoused – something that the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA) is striving to do. Starting in January, the organization is launching their homelessness count, recruiting volunteers to walk the city and count those who are unhoused.
“This report further highlights why housing is a human right,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “We must continue to expand on the proven strategies and recommendations outlined in this report that have helped stop the rising mortality rate among unhoused residents, including increased access to supportive and long-term housing with on-site services to meet the needs of our unhoused family, friends, and neighbors.”
