Politics & Government
Multnomah Homeless Report Finds 79 Died While Homeless In 2017
The county's annual report, Domicile Unknown, found that 79 people – from less than 1-year-old to 81 – died while homeless in 2017.
PORTLAND, OR – Homelessness continues to be a fatal condition in Multnomah County. The annual Domicile Unknown report by the county found that 79 people died while homeless in 2017.
They ranged in age from less than 1-year-old to 81-years-old.
The study was conducted with Street Roots.
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"Every year, we report on homeless deaths," the Tri-County Health Officer, Dr. Paul Lewis said. "Every year the deaths are too many, the people are too young, and the causes too preventable.
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"In every case, a lack of housing played a role."
The report was first done in 2012, looking at the numbers from 2011. That year, investigators found that at least 47 people died while homeless. Since then, at least 391 more have died.
Lewis says that things are not looking any better for 2018.
Through Oct. 8 2018, at least 49 people have died while homeless.
The leading causes of death for people who are homeless are drugs and alcohol, which officials say are often symptoms of mental illness.
The report concludes that 46 of the 79 deaths were attributed to drugs and alcohol. Of the drug deaths, 21 people were found to have methamphetamine in their system.
"Part of being on the street, you just want to get away from the reality of the suffering when you have nowhere to live," Lt. Art Nakamura of the Portland Police's Drugs and Vice Division said.
Most of the people who died did so between October and March when the weather is cooler. In January alone, five people died of hypothermia.
"Every single person we've lost is a member of our community who once had a family and a future,’ Multnomah County Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury said. "We mourn them. We try to learn lessons from their loss.
"But we honor them by doing everything we can to end this manmade crisis."
YOU CAN READ THE WHOLE REPORT HERE
Photo of a homeless encampment in Southwest Portland via Colin Miner/Patch.
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