Deaths of city homeless three times national rate

‘URBAN ROUGH-SLEEPERS MOST AT RISK’

Homeless people are dying in Newcastle at three times the national rate HOMELESS people are dying on the streets of Newcastle at almost three times the national rate.

An estimated 46 homeless people in the area died between 2013 and 2017, according to data released for the first time by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This was a rate of 3.4 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 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 ONS say the method used provides a robust but conservative estimate, so the real numbers could be higher still. The figures also suggest the situation in Newcastle is growing worse with an estimated 13 homeless people dying in 2017 - up from seven deaths in 2013.

Across the North East as a whole, there were an estimated 120 deaths between 2013 and 2017 - including 32 in 2017.

This includes an estimated 20 deaths in Sunderland between 2013 and 2017, with a death rate of 1.9 per 100,000, as well as an estimated nine deaths in Durham between 2013 and 2017.

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.

In Wales, there were 1.57 deaths per

100,000 in the most deprived 10% of local areas - 3.4 times higher than the 0.46 deaths per 100,000 in the least deprived 10% of local areas.

Ben Humberstone, head of health analysis for the ONS, said: “Every one of these deaths is a real human tragedy, and understanding where these deaths occur is particularly poignant.

“While the worst-affected areas change from one year to the next, the figures show the deprivation level of an area has a real impact.

“Many more people die homeless in the most deprived areas of England and Wales and 95% of the deaths are in urban areas rather than rural 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 last five years were deemed accidents but one in every 10 was 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.

Opiates such as heroin, morphine and methadone proved the most deadly - responsible for 507 deaths over the five years. Cocaine and benzodiazepine (sleeping pills) were responsible for 70 and 85 deaths respectively.

Meanwhile, at least 282 homeless people died from alcohol poisoning between 2013 and 2017.

Other causes of death included assault (24 deaths), flu and pneumonia (49) and HIV (six). Homeless men aged 45-49 were the most at-risk, 340 losing their lives in the last five years.

However, 24 teenagers aged 15 to 19 also died between 2013 and 17 – 21 boys and three girls. London had more than one-fifth (23%) of the estimated total number of homeless deaths in England and Wales.