Deaths among people experiencing homelessness on the rise in BC

Deaths among the unhoused population in British Columbia have increased 138 per cent in the past two years.

That’s according to a report released by the BC Coroners Service and Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

The report shows at least the deaths of at least 342 people experiencing homelessness were reported to the Coroners Service in 2022.

Between 2015 and 2020, the annual provincial average was 143 deaths, from 2021 to 2022, it was 305.

The leading cause of deaths of people experiencing homelessness was the unregulated toxic drug supply, as it claimed 287 lives.