NATIONAL HOMELESS PERSONS' MEMORIAL DAY

By Debbie Bulloch



Monday, December 21, is National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. The National Coalition for the Homeless has chosen December 21, the longest night of the year, to commemorate the lives of all the persons who have died on the street while homeless.

I have previously written about the growing homeless population in the U.S.A. The continuing bad economy has pushed more people, including families with children and pets, into the streets. While the fat bastards in Wall Street continue to reap the benefits of our government’s endless generosity towards the rich, thousands and thousands of men, women and children and their pets are forced to sleep on the streets of our cities.

I have first hand experience of what it means to lay down on the cold, hard cement and try to catch some sleep. I also know, first hand, about the dangers that lurk out on the night for those who have no roof over their heads and a bed under their bodies.

Here are some sobering statistics compiled by the National Coalition for the Homeless Coalition. These numbers demonstrate, in black and white, the dangers faced every night by our homeless population.

During the period between January 1, 200, and May 28, 2007, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office reported 2,815 homeless deaths.
As an average, this is more than one per day for the nearly 7.5 year period.

Comparison of Data

The range of homeless deaths spans from a low of 270 in 2002 to a high of 551 in 2006. The largest increase occurred between 2002 and 2003 when deaths increased from 270 to 393, a 45.5% increase in one year.

Demographic Characteristics

Gender: Of the 2,815 homeless deaths, 2,406 (85%) of them were male, and 409 (15%) were female.

Ethnicity: The racial/ethnic makeup of these deaths shows that 1,151 (41%) were Caucasian, 868 (31%) were Hispanic, 717 (25%) were African American, 33 (1%) were Asian, 26 (1%) were American Indian, and 29 (1%) were of other ethnicities.

Age: The average age of death was 48.1 years, falling far short of the 77.2 year life expectancy of the average American. The age range of these homeless deaths was 0-89. The age distribution shows there were 95 (3.3%) deaths in the zero to 24 years-old age group, 918 (32.6%) deaths in the 25 to 44 age group, 1,575 (56.0%) deaths in the 45 to 64 age group, and 225 (8.0%) in the 65 and over age group.

The average life span of the deceased homeless in Los Angeles County covered just 62.3% of the life expectancy of a person living in the United

Leading Known Underlying Causes of Death:

Cardiovascular: The primary cause of death among the 2,815 homeless was cardiovascular problems, accounting for 686 (24.4%) deaths. Again, it is important to note: without access to official death certificates, the primary underlying cause of death (such as alcohol and/or substance abuse) in these cardiovascular cases is unknown.

Unknown: Unknown causes of death ranked second in the listings. The high death rates and low life expectancy highlighted reported constitute an extremely serious health disparity for the homeless population group.

Substance Use: The second most common cause was acute intoxication, which accounted for 619 (22.0%) of deaths. The leading substances abused were: heroin, cocaine, morphine and alcohol.

Trauma: The third most common were trauma related. In a preliminary review of a coroner's list of causes of death (without access to death certificates), we found that 502 deaths (or 17.8%) were caused by some type of trauma, many of which were related to violent acts or suicides.

Geographical Distribution

The largest concentration of Los Angeles County’s homeless deaths occurred within the City of Los Angeles (1,277 or 45 %). Although no other area compares to these figures, there are many neighborhoods with significant homeless mortality numbers. For example, Long Beach is second on the list, with 154 homeless deaths, followed by Santa Monica with 111, Pasadena with 55 and Hollywood with 48. Virtually every single neighborhood has at least a few homeless deaths on its record, which clearly shows that this is not just a phenomena of “Skid Row,” but extends throughout the county.

Seasonal Distribution: Homeless deaths were fairly evenly distributed among the four seasons of the year, and do not appear to be weather-related. (After all, this is Southern California where the weather is mild for most of the year.) Winter was classified as the period of December 23 to March 20, and claimed 770 lives, or 27% of the total deaths. Spring (March 21 – June 20) was the second most deadly season, with 696 deaths [25%] over the seven year span. There were 687 deaths [24%] during the summer (June 21 – September 23) and 660 [23%] during the fall (September 24 – December 22).

Number of Lost Years Due to Early or Untimely Deaths

The 2,815 homeless people in our study were expected to live 211,878 years based on the average life expectancy of their gender and ethnicity. They only survived 135,528 of those expected years. A statistical analysis of the number of years homeless people lived in comparison to the number of years they were predicted to live according to life expectancy revealed that their lives were cut short by 76,350 years. On average a homeless person’s life is 36% shorter than a housed person’s life.

One of the most startling facts is that for homeless Latinas, their lives were 49% shorter than expected. Their lifetimes were cut in half by homelessness. African American females’ lives were 42% shorter than expected and Caucasian females lives were 40% shorter than expected. Latino’s lives were 42% shorter than expected, while Asian males’ lives were 40% shorter .

These figures demonstrate the immensity of the problem and its profound effect on the lives of those who are homeless.

This is the time of the year when Christians around the world get ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus. As you do, please remember that Jesus was born homeless. Also please remember that the Bible commands that we open our hearts to the less fortunate.

I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home.

Matthew 25:35

Whatever your faith may be, please take the time to help the most vulnerable members of our society.

Thank you!

To learn more about National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day and to read more about the wonderful work done by the National Coalition for the Homeless, please click here:

National Coalition for the Homeless

(CLICK ON POSTER FOR A LARGER VIEW)



The National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day poster is copyrighted by the National Coalition for the Homeless who owns all the rights to the poster.