1,010 unhoused Austinites died in six years, deaths are rising

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A new report shows that over 1,000 unhoused people died from 2018 to 2023, according to a release from the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO). 

ECHO released Wednesday the Bridging for Better Outcomes report, which was the result of collecting and analyzing six years of data from various entities to get a comprehensive look at who and how people are dying on Austin streets. 

“[The data] was hard to see,” said Danica Fraher, the health care systems manager for ECHO. 

“The reason why this exists is because up until this point, our planning did not include mortality data,” Fraher said. “We have a couple of different ways that we could get started now in tackling preventable mortality that we're seeing in our community.” 

The report showed that unhoused people die on average at the age of 50 – that’s 20 years younger than a person who is not unhoused. Further, it showed that if a person emerges from homelessness, and finds permanent housing, it can increase their life expectancy by around 10 years. 

The data showed that around four out of five deaths in the homeless community were men, and deaths have been increasing since 2018. That year, around seven people per month died, and in 2023, the number rose to 22 a month.

Fraher said the increase in deaths may be attributed, among other things, to the rising prevalence of fentanyl and the cost of living in Austin. 

“It's very unaffordable to live here,” Fraher said. “The more exposure people have to being outside – the sicker they will become. It is extremely hot, it is extremely traumatic. It is very, very hard to be living outside. And we're seeing that in our death data.”

Overdoses, transportation (cars and trains) incidents, and cardiovascular disease were the most common causes of death. And 6% of those who died accessed a shelter bed within the last six months of their lives. 

“We know that permanent housing is the solution, and we're building momentum in our community, but that needs to continue,” Fraher said.