According to a new report, more than 1,000 homeless people died in Los Angeles, California, in 2018, double the number of deaths six years ago, highlighting the severe housing crisis in the richest state. and the most populous of the United States. .
The number of homeless deaths increased from 536 in 2013 to 1,047 in 2018, according to a report from the Los Angeles County Public Health Department.
The report found that the leading causes of death were coronary heart disease, which accounted for 22% of deaths, followed by alcohol and drug overdoses in 21% of cases. The other main causes are road accidents, homicides and suicides.
Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles, has more than 10 million people. Los Angeles is the largest city in California and the second largest in the country.
"This alarming increase in homeless deaths requires immediate action to improve the care of our most vulnerable populations," said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health, in a statement. Press.
The report also found that homeless people died an average of 22 years earlier than the general population.
"Homelessness can have a devastating impact on a person's health and well-being, and we need to better understand the underlying causes that contribute to our country's high death rate among homeless people," he said. he declared. Supervisor Hilda L. Solis.
The data highlight the worsening housing crisis in the metropolitan area of Los Angeles, where authorities estimate that 59,000 people are homeless, including over 44,000 in cars, tents or housing. fortune.
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, about 130,000 people are homeless in California on any given day, more than in any other state. UU.
"Three people die every day on the street," said Adam Rice, organizer of the Los Angeles Community Action Network. "It's a complete failure of leadership. Darrell did not need to die. None of these people needed to die. The reason is that there is no adequate housing. "
High rents and a large shortage of affordable housing have displaced people from their homes in the region, and more than half of homeless adults in a recent count said they were homeless for the first time.
US President Donald Trump, who was in California last month for a series of fundraising campaigns as part of his re-election campaign in 2020, criticized the homelessness problem in the larger democratic bastions. cities of the country. California
California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with the mayors of Los Angeles and San Francisco, have asked Trump for federal funding to expand their programs to provide a stable living environment for homeless people.
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