Deaths of people experiencing homelessness in B.C. skyrocketed by 75% in 2021: coroner

The BC Coroners Service is reporting a massive increase in deaths among people who are experiencing homelessness.

In 2021, the coroner says 247 people died while they were unhoused — a 75 per cent increase in the number of lives lost compared to 2020.

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe says the new report showing the number of deaths reflects the “realities” that these vulnerable people experience every day.

“We know that many are facing significant health concerns, including physical disabilities, mental-health challenges, and substance-use issues. Additionally, as is also evident in the province’s housed population, the report details the significant risks associated with toxic drugs for those who are unhoused,” she said in a statement.

“My hope is that this information will help support positive action, both during Homelessness Action Week and beyond.”

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Anyone living outdoors, in a makeshift shelter, a parked vehicle, any structure not “intended for habitation”, a person staying at an emergency or temporary shelter, or staying with friends or family for less than 30 days was classified as unhoused in this report.

The Coroners Service says during the preceding 10 years, from 2012 to 2022, approximately 120 deaths among people experiencing homelessness were investigated by the service annually.

However, a “significant increase” in the number of lives lost occurred in 2015 (73) and 2016 (181), the service says.

“An average of about 153 deaths per year were reported between 2016 and 2020,” the agency said.

Approximately 72 per cent of deaths were reported in people aged 30 to 59 years old, with 83 per cent of those deaths among men.

Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health accounted for more than half of the total deaths in the province, at 25 per cent and 32 per cent respectively.

B.C.’s toxic drug supply

Almost 75 per cent of deaths were classified as accidental, and 87 per cent of those accidental deaths were determined to be caused by toxic drugs. In 2021, 93 per cent of deaths among unhoused folks were caused by the toxic drug supply.

“The BC Coroners Service’s death review panel report into illicit drug toxicity deaths found a high correlation between deaths due to drug toxicity and persons living in poverty or experiencing housing instability,” Lapointe said.

“Almost one-third of the 2,117 decedents in the panel’s protocol cohort were either living outdoors or in temporary shelters.

“This data in this release reinforces the panel’s recommendations: the urgent creation of a provincewide framework for distribution of safer supply; the establishment of clear goals, targets and deliverable timeframes to reduce the number of illicit drug toxicity events and deaths; and the establishment of an evidence-based continuum of care.”

BC Coroners Service data ‘devastating’: UGM

With the latest figures showing just how dire the situation has become, many advocates are speaking out, saying more needs to be done.

The Union Gospel Mission (UGM), which provides supports to Metro Vancouver’s most vulnerable, says the figures released by the BC Coroners Service are “devastating.”

“To have this kind of confirmation, we’re filled with a lot of sorrow and we think about our community members, the people who did die last year and their loved ones,” explained Nicole Mucci, an advocate at the UGM.

She notes there are a number of factors at play. However, Mucci says people who are unhoused or who are “precariously unhoused” are facing hurdles daily.

“They are dealing with concurrent barriers and health issues on a regular day-to-day basis. So, when we know that they have weakened immune systems and that we have a very toxic and poisonous drug supply out there, the combination of the two can truly be fatal,” she told CityNews.

“One of the most important things to consider when we’re looking at these deaths and the many lives lost is that people who are struggling with homelessness, who are experiencing being unhoused, and who may also be struggling with addiction don’t deserve a death sentence. Tragically, that’s what we’re seeing happen.”

While advocates press for solutions, Mucci admits it’s not easy to identify one single answer. However, housing is a start.

“There isn’t a silver bullet or an easy answer. I would say that if things don’t change immediately, more people are going to continue dying at rapid rates,” she explained.

“When we’re thinking about different types of solutions or ways that we could try to slow down this steadily increasing number of individuals who are unhoused and who are dying every year, we have to talk about housing. It’s not a simple band-aid that we can just slap on and think will fix every single issue and individual may be facing. But we do know that without housing, without safety, without knowing where you’re going to put your head at night, the number of people experiencing homelessness who we are going to see die way before their time will increase.”

B.C. government working to ‘turn the tide’ on crisis affecting unhoused

In a joint statement Wednesday, Murray Rankin, the minister responsible for housing, and Sheila Malcolmson, mental health and addictions minister, said their “heartfelt condolences” go to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives while experiencing homelessness.

“The people who died were our neighbours, friends, and family members, and our thoughts are with everyone grieving their loss.

“Many of the people who died were men in the prime of their lives. At least 195 people experiencing homelessness died because of the poisoned illicit drug supply in 2021. Each death is a tragedy,” the statement continued.

“The data is a stark reminder of the devastating impacts of the toxic drug crisis on people in B.C., compounded by the daily risks and health challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness.”

The province says it is working to “turn the tide on the crisis” by expanding treatment services and harm reduction measures, including drug checking and prescribed safer supply.

“We are determined to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place. We are increasing supports to do just that, including new, expanded supports for youth aging out of care, and rent supplements coupled with health, housing and social supports,” the B.C. government said.

-With files from Crystal Laderas