LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The homeless mortality rate in Los Angeles County plateaued for the second consecutive year in 2023, marking a significant development due in large part to a reduction in drug overdoses, Department of Public Health officials announced Thursday.
DPH officials released findings of the sixth annual report on mortality among people experiencing homelessness, which showed there were 2,508 deaths of unhoused individuals in 2023. From 2021 to 2022, the mortality rate increased by 2%, followed by a 1% increase from 2022 to 2023.
While the report found the mortality rate remained high at 3,326 deaths per 100,000 people, county officials noted that it has leveled off compared to a previously devastating increase of 56% from 2019 to 2021.
“It’s good news that the rate has leveled off, but it’s still very high, and we’re working collectively with many partners to decrease the mortality rate over the next three years,” William Nicholas, director of DPH’s Center for Health Impact Evaluation, said.
Officials cited the distribution of naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medication, for the reduction in overdose deaths. Additionally, harm reduction, mental health and substance-use treatment services contributed to the rates in 2023, authorities said.
Nicholas noted that the state of California added new fields in its electronic Death Reporting System for recording whether a decedent was homeless at the time of death.
“This puts California the vanguard of a national movement to track housing status on state death records,” Nicholas said.
According to the report, the five leading causes of death among homeless people were drug overdoses, coronary heart disease, traffic-related deaths, homicide and suicide — accounting for about 75% of all deaths in 2023. In prior years, COVID-19 played a significant role in homeless deaths.
Drug and alcohol overdose accounted for 45% of all deaths, and it was the leading cause of death among men, women, white, Latino, Black, Asian and American Indian/Alaska native people experiencing homelessness. The percentage of overdose deaths involving fentanyl also plateaued in 2023, however, 70.4% of those deaths involved fentanyl, meaning such risk is still very high for unhoused people who use drugs.
“Despite the continued plateau in drug-related overdoses among people experiencing homelessness, we are still facing the worst overdose crisis in history,” Gary Tsai, director of DPH’s Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, said.
“Expanding access to treatment, overdose prevention, and harm reduction services has been vital to this progress, but our work is far from over,” he added.
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents the First District, encompassing Skid Row and MacArthur Park, said in a statement it was encouraging to see overdose deaths and other causes of death level off. She added, “The safety and well-being of our most vulnerable residents depend on our continued commitment to compassionate, data-driven solutions.”
Heart disease accounted for 14% of deaths and stood as the second leading cause of death for homeless people. Traffic-related deaths remained the third leading cause of death at a rate of 251 deaths per 100,000, which represents a 50% increase compared to 2019.
In 2023, on average, a person experiencing homelessness died because of a moving vehicle “approximately every other day,” DPH reported.
Homicide decreased by 25% from 213 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022 to 159 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023. DPH highlighted the decrease was notable among Black people experiencing homelessness, with that homicide rate decreasing by 8% in 2022 to 4% in 2023.
Meanwhile, suicide stood as the fifth leading cause of death, with the rate stable over time.
Compared to the general population, people experiencing homelessness were 4 1/2 times more likely to die.
The report highlighted four recommendations that could help reduce the mortality rate among homeless people:
— Ensure rapid access to housing and shelter, and address the needs of unhoused people;
— Expand harm reduction and overdose prevention outreach;
— Ensure that physical health, mental health and substance-use treatment services are available; and
— Collaborate with cities and unincorporated community to reduce traffic deaths among homeless people.
The annual report uses data from L.A. County Office of the Medical Examiner and California’s state death records, as well as the annual homeless count and demographic survey. According to county officials, the next report will be released in January 2026, providing insight into data in 2024.
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