Report Highlights Danger and Tragedy of Experiencing Homelessness

A startling piece of news that has come out in relation to those experiencing homelessness in Portland is the number of fatalities this portion of the population has faced. The collaborative paper between Multnomah County and paper Street Roots known as "Domicile Unknown" has found that in 2019, 113 people experiencing homelessness had died. This marks the highest number of deaths the report has found since the Multnomah County Health Department has started tracking them in 2011.

Further statistics gathered in the report include how nearly half of the deaths were related to drug and alcohol use, with methamphetamines being a leading cause with opioids following behind. A third of the deaths came from natural causes, be it due to complications from abuse or chronic illnesses, and then ten more were as a result of physical trauma, including being struck by a moving vehicle. 

Most recently, on the 2nd of February 2021, a 27-year old man died after a propane leak set the area where he was living on fire while he was still inside. He sustained 3rd degree burns before being rushed to a hospital by first-responders, but sadly lost life. Tragically, he is the third person reported to have died due to makeshift fires.

What the report from "Domicile Unknown" and the recent accidents really illustrate are the dangers that come with experiencing homelessness. Unfortunately, with rising numbers of people without homes, there are only going to be greater chances for more tragic deaths to occur. While projects such as the tiny villages from Pallet are going to help shelter more people, progress to transfer people out of homelessness need to move fast as to prevent tragedies similar to what happened to that man. Not only that, but with so many deaths being related to drug and alcohol abuse, that just further shows the failures in getting people with addictions the help they need. Oregon decriminalizing small amounts of drugs is a good first step, but more has to be done in order to ensure the recovery of people suffering from addiction.

Sources: 

https://multco.us/file/94224/download

https://www.koin.com/news/portland/fire-at-n-portland-homeless-camp-leaves-1-severely-burned/