The deaths of homeless in the county of the

The health officials of the County of Los Angeles reported a second consecutive year of moderate increase in the deaths of the homeless, adding evidence that an increase that increased the mortality rate by 56% in the previous two years stabilized.

But homeless mortality remained persistent with an average of 6.9 deaths per day in 2023, the year covered in the last report. Overall, the homeless died at 4½ times the rate of the whole population.

During the year, 2,508 people died in the streets and in shelters, up 5.6% compared to the previous year. Since the number of homeless of this period increased, the mortality rate – calculated at 3,326 deaths per 100,000 people – increased less, to 1.3%. It was an improvement compared to the increase of 2.1% in 2022.

The death rate by overdose of drugs and alcohol has dropped slightly but remained the main cause, representing 45% of all deaths. Among these, 70% involved the fentanyl synthetic opioid. Coronary disease was the second cause, representing 14% of deaths, a figure that increased by 22%. Transport accidents remained stable in third place overall, but the second main cause for women. On average, a homeless was killed in a vehicle accident every two days. The homicides, in fourth place, fell by 25%.

Men were more likely than women to die of all causes, representing 68% of the population but 82% of deaths. Sixty-two percent of deaths were part of under 55, a phenomenon attributed to the higher overdose rate of the younger group. Mortality was the highest for whites who represented 19% of the population but represented 32% of all deaths. Blacks and Latinos each had fewer deaths than their proportion of the population.

In a press briefing Thursday, Dr. Gary Tsai, director of the county of the prevention and control office of the drug addiction, said that additional contributory factors for leveling could be increasing awareness within the homeless population of fentanyl risks and even the reduced number of fentanyl users due to deaths.

But he noted that there were no clear changes that could indicate that it would be important factors.

“We know that newly sheltered people can run an increased risk of overdose,” said Tsai.

The sixth report on homeless mortality from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health described the current trend as a plateau. It has attributed the improvement in part to a triple increase in the distribution of naxalone, an overdose reversal drug from 2021 to 2023 and other mental health treatment and drug addiction services. Nearly 479,000 doses of Naxalone were distributed in 2024, he said.

The report listed 17 recommendations falling into four categories: Quick access to housing and sheltered; Extended overdose prevention; Treatment of physical, mental health and consumption of substances; And collaboration with municipalities and communities not formed in society to reduce traffic deaths.

The calculation of homeless mortality rates is intrinsically unstable. It is based on fluctuating annual counts of the homeless population who have an integrated error and on imperfect means of identifying the death of homeless.

Deaths are mainly drawn from the files of the medical examiner of the County of Los Angeles on accidental and violent cases. Other deaths are obtained from a search of the database of state death certificates.

The increase from one year to another in 2023 may have been inflated by improving state data with the addition of a homeless check box. State data contributed 12% of the deaths identified, more than the previous year.

This year’s report also included a footnote indicating that the initial conclusion in 2022 of a leveling out of the overdose rate was to be revised upwards due to a backlin of toxicology tests at the time of the publication that the medical examiner then deemed linked to drugs. A smaller order book could also change the 2023 result, but to a lesser extent, he said.

The enumerations of the homeless are on average two years to estimate a mid-year number. This year’s report used an average of three years due to the cancellation of the 2021 count during the COVVI-19 pandemic.