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December 14, 2023 - 12:33 PM
Over the past nine years, 66 homeless people have died in Kelowna, 62 in Kamloops and 35 in Vernon.
Those numbers were released today, Dec. 14, by the BC Coroners Service, covering the years from 2015 to 2022. They show a dramatic increase in the past two years.
“Between 2015 and 2020, the annual average (provincially) was 143 deaths,” a BC Coroners Services news release says. “In comparison, the annual average from 2021 to 2022 was 305 deaths.”
Kelowna averaged almost six deaths per year in the 2015-20 time period and 12.5 over the past two years.
The situation in Kamloops was more dramatic with the average from 2015-20 of five jumping to 13 over the last two years, largely due to 20 deaths recorded in 2022.
Vernon was the only other city in the Thompson-Okanagan region for which data was provided. Its average rose from two per year in 2015-20 to 8.5 over the past two years, including 13 in 2022.
The three cities accounted for 60.1% of the 269 deaths in the Interior Health region over the nine years.
The data does not factor in the significant increases to the number of homeless people in recent years.
READ MORE: Rise of hidden homeless families living on streets of Thompson-Okanagan
“Because housing data was unavailable at the time of analysis, rates of death and any possible correlation between deaths and the number of people experiencing homelessness in the province could not be determined,” the news release says.
The Coroners Office criteria for homelessness included people living outdoors, in make-shift shelters, parked vehicles, vacant homes or any other structure not intended for habitation.
It also counted those staying in emergency shelters and those who were temporarily sheltered by friends or family.
It did not include people in correctional facilities, hospitals or drug or alcohol treatment facilities.
More than half the deaths occurred in the fall and winter and 82% were male with 74% being between the ages of 30 and 59.
The vast majority of the deaths (81%) were considered accidental. Of those, 91% were suspected to be caused by toxic drugs.
Another 11% of deaths were classified as natural and 5% were suicides.
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