From 536 in 2013 to 1,047 in 2018, reports have it that deaths of homeless people have gone up.
Taking the increase of the homeless population into account, the total death rate has tripled since that time.
The report also said that the biggest factors that heavily impacted the death rate to take its toll are drug and alcohol overdoses.
Figures show that from 2016 to 2018, the overdose death rate for the homeless people was as high as 26 times more than the general population in homes.
In a news release, the director of the county health department, Dr Barbara Ferrer said, “This alarming increase in homeless deaths requires immediate action to improve the care for our most vulnerable populations.”
Accounting for nearly 25% of the number of deaths in the six-year span, coronary heart disease was the top cause of death. And other leading causes of deaths also includes traffic injuries, homicide and also suicide.
The report also discovered that the general population lived 22 years more than the homeless people.
Supervisor Hilda L. Solis said in an interview, “Homelessness can have a devastating impact on a person’s health and well-being, and we need to better understand the underlying causes that contribute to our County’s high mortality rate among those who are experiencing homelessness.”
As a result of the increase in deaths of homeless people, the report recommended a few actions to do something about the saddening news, including creating a team to review homeless deaths to have a better understanding of the situation.