Multnomah County’s yearly Domicile Unknown report, which was made public on Friday, showed that the number of persons who died in 2023 without a permanent place to call home increased dramatically once more, to 456.
In 2023, there were 141 more homeless deaths in the county than there were in 2022. Additionally, there were 409 more fatalities than in 2011, the first year that records were maintained.
The research found that overdoses accounted for 282 deaths, or 62% of all deaths. Multnomah County Health Department personnel created the report, which found that fentanyl, meth, or a mix of the two were responsible for the great majority of overdose deaths. In Multnomah County, no fentanyl-related deaths occurred in 2011, the year Oregon started recording deaths among the homeless.
According to the report, 26 persons died by suicide, 18 died of heart disease or cancer, and 14 died of homicide out of the non-overdose deaths. Extreme heat did not result in any fatalities, although cold weather did cause one death. Twenty-two individuals lost their lives in traffic accidents, which is much more than the overall traffic death rate.
According to his sisters Shelbie and Heidi’s testimony, Colby Nutter, who was 38 when he overdosed in Portland, was athletic, caring, and intellectual. They recall that he enjoyed to play with electronics and automobile engines while growing up in Troutdale.
Shelbie informed Sarah Dean, a county spokesperson and the author of three tales of persons who died homeless in 2023 and are featured in the study, that he really wanted to leave and be with his family.
He wore a shield that stated, “I’m good, I can do this, I don’t want to be a burden,” Shelbie, whose last name was omitted, said Dean. We wish we could have done more to support him.
This year’s Domicile Unknown report included three individuals who died from overdoses and were under 45. The surviving siblings recalled them in the report. According to all three survivors, their siblings loved life but were unable to overcome their addiction.
According to Dean’s account of Nancy Hill’s struggles, she would have nowhere to go once her therapy was completed in order to continue her recovery.
Hill’s sister’s phone number was written on a sticky note that was found on her body when she passed away on a sidewalk in 2023 at the age of 35. I never would have realized she was gone if it weren’t for that note, her sister Loraine told Dean.
Black people (53 persons) and American Indian/Alaska Native people (32 people) made up a disproportionate share of the fatalities. Additionally, both racial groups are overrepresented in the overall homeless population.
According to the report’s introduction, which was authored by epidemiology manager Emily Mosites and health officer Richard Bruno of the Multnomah County Health Department, the majority of the deaths highlighted in the report were unfortunate and avoidable. They noted that improving access to mental health and addiction treatment, as well as offering more shelter and housing options, could help avoid some deaths. Neither is adequate to address the need at this time.
According to Bruno and Mosites’ introduction, Multnomah County’s fentanyl epidemic peaked in 2023. We hope that future reports will contain considerably lower numbers as fentanyl overdoses decline.
For The Oregonian, Lillian Mongeau Hughes writes about mental health and homelessness. For advice or inquiries, send her an email [email protected]. You may also follow her at @lrmongeau on X.Your support is essential to our journalism. Please sign up for a subscription at OregonLive.com/subscribe right now.
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