Nearly 1,500 Unhoused People Died During The Pandemic In LA

A new report authored by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a coalition of unhoused residents found nearly 1,500 unhoused people have died on the streets of Los Angeles during the pandemic, with the most common cause of death being accidental overdose. The study found that the average age of unhoused residents who died was 47 years old and that Black residents are disproportionately affected by homelessness, making up 25 percent of all deaths, while constituting only 8 percent of the region’s population. This is largely because of long-standing historical and structural racism. “When people are passing away outdoors and on the sidewalks, that is a failure of the state,” said Chloe Rosenstock, coauthor of the report and an organizer with Street Watch LA, an advocacy group for the unhoused.