Number of Homeless Dying on the Streets on the Rise

As the number of homeless in Multnomah County rises so do the number of homeless people dying. A new report from the county says that 88 people died last year - an increase from 56 the year before.

It is the highest number of deaths since the county started tracking them five years ago when there were 47 deaths.

More than half the deaths were accidental. One in four were from natural causes. Five people were killed - up from just one in 2014.

Alcohol or drugs played a role in half - 44 - of the deaths while heroin or prescription opiates played a role in one quarter - 22 - of the deaths.

Most of the people - 61 - who died were men. The oldest was 78. The youngest was 17.

Seventeen of the dead were women. That's up from four the year before. The oldest woman was 68. The youngest was 22.

Women tended to die younger than men. The mean age of women who died was 41 as opposed to 50 for men.

And, just like Oregon, most people who died were white. There were ten African Americans who died.

The report concludes with several recommendations including increasing the number of affordable housing units and providing emergency night and day shelter to those who cannot find permanent housing.

Photo Amy Miner