Homeless deaths surge in American cities
It is becoming increasingly dangerous to be homeless in America.
By Annemarie LePard
The mortality rate is rising among the homeless population in the United States. More than ever, it has become deadly to be homeless in America, especially for men in their 50s and 60s, according to the New York Times.
In 2020, at least 7,877 people experiencing homelessness died in 73 U.S. cities and counties, according to data collected by Homeless Deaths Count, a 21% increase from the previous year.
The epidemic of deaths on the streets of American cities has accelerated as the unhoused population has aged, a wider availability of fentanyl and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the New York Times.
Many homeless people are dying young as a result of treatable chronic illnesses, but during the pandemic, the medical care was not easily accessible and public health authorities were preoccupied with combating the virus.
There is one additional factor that is underrepresented according to Kris Kepler, CEO of LavaMaeX, a non-profit that teaches and trains people on bringing mobile showers and other critical services to the streets for the homeless population.
“The concept of loneliness … that has an incredible impact on somebody’s mental health,” Kepler said.
In 2020, the State of California recorded 2,981 homeless deaths. Arizona reported the second highest amount with 595 deaths. The lowest death count was 12 in Wisconsin.
However, the District of Columbia saw the most homeless deaths. In D.C., there were roughly 28 deaths per every 100,000 people, with a population of 689,545.
Comparatively, California had a population of 39,538,223 in 2020 with roughly 7 deaths per every 100,000 people.
The homeless population continues to rise at alarming rates in the United States. Between 2019 and 2020, nationwide homelessness increased by 2%, marking the fourth straight year of incremental population growth, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
Within the last five years, the unsheltered population has surged by 30%. As of January 2020, there were 580,466 people experiencing homelessness, as reported by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
Baby boomers are at a higher risk for homelessness. “Baby boomers are on a fixed income and [when] you have housing prices or rent prices go up, they don’t have a pension, [or] they don’t necessarily have retirement savings,” said Kepler. “More and more of the baby boomers on the streets are having to literally retire on the streets.”
