An important new study from the Utah Department of Health & Human Services shows that young people who are homeless in the state die 10 times more often than the rest of the community.
When the study came out on Thursday, it started by adding a question to the agency’s death records: “Was the person who died homeless?”
As an epidemiologist who did the study for the agency, Tyler Riedesel said, “People who are homeless are dying at higher rates and younger ages than the general population, and many of these deaths are preventable.”
Of the 21,816 people who died in Utah last year, 216 were not living in a safe place.
“The mean age of death for people experiencing homelessness during 2023 is 56 years of age,” said Riedesel. “Compare that to the general population or housed age is 72.”
The study found that drug abuse and long-term illnesses like heart disease and diabetes were the main reasons people died.
The findings that Dr. Leisha Nolen, a state epidemiologist, found did not surprise her.
What are the most important needs of Utahns who are homeless?
She told FOX 13 News, “It’s unfortunate, but I don’t think it was a surprise.” “I think there’s information in there that can help us address problems.”
There was a meeting of Utah’s homeless services board on Capitol Hill on Thursday where the numbers were shown. There were suggestions in it, starting with building more homes.
“There should not have been these deaths,” Riedesel said. Our study has a lot of different suggestions. One of those is making more housing choices available. That’s not a new thought. “Respite care…make primary health care and drug abuse treatment easier for people who are homeless to get.”
Advocates will likely use the data in future congressional sessions to push for more money and changes to policies.
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