SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — More than 200 homeless residents died in Sacramento County last year according to a report published Thursday by the Sacramento Regional Coalition To End Homelessness.
The community organization's executive director Bob Erlenbusch told ABC10 he gathered data from the Sacramento County Coroner's Office stretching back to 2002 for the coalition's 17-page report.
"We rely on the coroner's office to send us the names," said Erlenbusch. "They said they expect the numbers will be higher this year, around 215."
Data collected by the Sacramento Regional Coalition shows 46.7% of homeless residents who died in 2022 suffered substance use related deaths.
The top five causes of death for homeless residents in the county in 2022 according to the report include:
- Methamphetamine: 46 deaths
- Blunt force head injury: 36 deaths
- Cardiovascular related: 27 deaths
- Mixed drugs: 26 deaths
- Methamphetamine and fentanyl: 15 deaths
Erlenbusch said while drug-related deaths remain high among the homeless population, he commends the county for putting effort toward fighting substance abuse. He said they have done a better job lowering wait times for treatment programs but could do better.
"They need to move like San Francisco and have a place for people to go when they're ready to stop using," he said. "We do have a small harm reduction program in Sacramento County that could really be expanded."
County spokesperson Janna Haynes said the county acknowledges that until there are zero deaths of unhoused residents, they will develop innovative programs and services.
"Sacramento County has invested unprecedented dollars into multi-pronged strategies to address the crisis of homelessness. In addition to creating a centralized department with a sole focus of homelessness and housing, the County has created programs, services and shelters to meet the crisis of unsheltered homelessness and address the vastly diverse needs of those that are unhoused," she said.
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