The number of deaths amongst people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County increased to a record 1,267 in 2019 with drug overdoses the leading cause with the greatest increase, according to a recent report.

This is the second annual report from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) on mortality among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in LA County and includes new data for 2019 and part of 2020.

The report found that there were 153 additional deaths among PEH in 2019 compared to the year prior.

While the report found the overall mortality rate increased only slightly due to an even greater increase in the total number of PEH, drug overdose mortality rate increased substantially during the same period.

Since 2017, drug overdoses have been the leading cause of death among PEH in LA County and between 2016 and 2019 the overdose rate among PEH increased 84 percent.

“This alarming increase in homeless deaths, particularly those from drug overdoses, requires immediate action,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of Public Health. “As we work hard to secure housing for those experiencing homelessness, we have a civic and moral obligation to prevent unnecessary suffering and death. Public Health and our Division of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control are committed to doing everything we can to reduce drug-related deaths among people experiencing homelessness and all residents of our County.”

In 2019, methamphetamine was the drug most frequently involved in overdose deaths, but fentanyl-related deaths increased significantly that year, and then doubled again during the first seven months of 2020, according to LAPDH.

The relationship between fentanyl and drug overdoses has also reached beyond the community of PEH and to teenagers struggling with addiction as well, as seen by Insight Treatment Center, which offers a number of mental health services for teenagers in several local communities including Santa Clarita.

“What we see is that there is a dramatic, a huge increase in the amount of deaths caused by drugs or caused by addiction. That is primarily because of the fentanyl that is in the drugs today,” said Insight Treatment Center Owner Frederik Schulin. “What’s happened in the drug market is fentanyl has become a big deal and they cut up all sorts of drugs and they infuse fentanyl because there’s such a high potency.”

Typically, Insight’s answer to drug addiction issues is treatment and mental health support, however many support groups have been forced to go remote, which isn’t fully the same experience as physical attendance.

“We believe that it’s important to address the underlying issues for why people are using drugs: the mental health issues, the anxiety, the depression, the trauma, all those things need to be addressed to resolve these issues and that’s typically done in treatment programs,” Schulin said. “We are believers that there needs to be mental health support accessible in different communities and that you need to address these underlying issues to get drug and alcohol abuse under control.”

LACDPH is taking immediate steps to minimize drug-related mortality among PEH populations:

• Expansion of harm reduction services such as syringe exchange programs and distribution of naloxone and fentanyl test strips.
• Increasing access to supportive housing for PEH receiving SUD services.
• Launch of Los Angeles County Methamphetamine Task Force to take a coordinated and comprehensive approach to addressing the methamphetamine crisis.
• Workforce training to promote the use of Medications for Addiction Treatment.
• Development of a resource guide and mobile-friendly web application to facilitate access to substance use disorder treatment services.

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