Figures reveal ‘shameful’ amount of homeless deaths

NEW figures released by the Office for National Statistics have revealed the number of homeless people dying on London’s streets.

Across the city as a whole, there were an estimated 646 deaths between 2013 and 2017, including 136 in 2017. Data also shows that homeless people are dying on the streets of Camden at eight times the national rate.

An estimated 89 homeless people in the area died between 2013 and 2017. This was a rate of 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people, 7.7 times the England and Wales rate of 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people.

The research suggests rough sleepers are much more likely to die in the most deprived local authorities compared to in the least deprived areas.

The figures mainly include people sleeping rough at or around the time of death, but also include those using emergency accommodation such as homeless shelters and direct access hostels.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) says the method used provides a robust but conservative estimate, so the real numbers may still be higher.

There were an estimated 65 deaths in Lambeth between 2013 and 2017, with a death rate of 5.1 per 100,000, as well as an estimated 52 deaths in Westminster between 2013 and 2017, a rate of 4.8 deaths per 100,000.

In England, there were 2.45 deaths per 100,000 people in the most deprived 10%of local areas, 9.2 times higher than the 0.27 deaths per 100,000 in the least deprived 10% of local areas.

Figures first released in December last year showed 2,627 homeless people died between 2013 and 2017 across England and Wales.

Around 40% of the deaths seen over the past five years were deemed accidents, but one in every 10 were due to intentional self-harm.

Some 835 people died from either accidental or intentional drug overdoses – nearly a third of the total number of deaths.

Homeless charity Crisis’s chief executive Jon Sparkes said: “It’s nothing less than shameful that hundreds of people across England and Wales with nowhere to turn have died while homeless, especially when we know that homelessness is preventable. Ultimately, we must stop these tragedies from happening year after year.”