Portland Said It Was Investing in Homeless People’s Safety. Deaths Have Quadrupled.
www.propublica.org
The city responded to an increase in homeless deaths by intensifying encampment sweeps and adding emergency shelter at the expense of permanent housing. Experts say this has perpetuated the problem.

But although the city spent roughly $200,000 per homeless resident throughout that time (2019-2023-5 years at most), deaths of homeless people recorded in the county quadrupled, climbing from 113 in 2019 to more than 450 in 2023, according to the most recent data from the Multnomah County Health Department. The rise in deaths far outpaces the growth in the homeless population, which was recorded at 6,300 by a 2023 county census, a number most agree is an undercount. The county began including newly available state death records in its 2022 report, which added about 60 deaths to the yearly tolls.

Homeless residents of Multnomah County now die at a higher rate than in any major West Coast county with available homeless mortality data: more than twice the rate of those in Los Angeles County and the Washington state county containing Seattle and Tacoma. Almost all the homeless population in Multnomah County lives within Portland city limits.

  • pelespirit@sh.itjust.worksOPMEnglish
    6·
    6 days ago

    They spent $40k per year? Why didn’t they give them that money, it would have gotten them off the streets.

    • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      6 days ago

      They’re just flatly dividing the 1.3 billion total budget that was allocated over the years by the 6,300 number of homeless counted in 2023.

      That budget is likely including programs for residents incyding homeless, the police forces sweeping, and judging by how fuzzy this article is, likely all covid funding that was disbursed.

      • pelespirit@sh.itjust.worksOPMEnglish
        2·
        6 days ago

        and judging by how fuzzy this article is, likely all covid funding that was disbursed.

        That’s a pretty big leap. All the rest should have gone towards the homeless.

        That budget is likely including programs for residents incyding homeless, the police forces sweeping,

        • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          1·
          6 days ago

          Local health departments directed a ton of resources during covid to homelessness. When most directives were for people to stay home, a lot of funding was needed in comparison for field efforts.

          For example: when I worked for a health department in this region during covid, we were able to launch programs for the at-risk and homeless that shuttered when covid funding ended.

          I imagine there’s correlation there at least to consider it a logical step than a leap.