Santa Cruz County agency sees 33% increase in deaths among homeless residents

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION) The Homeless Action Partnership is preparing for its annual Homeless Memorial Ceremony to honor homeless community members who died this year, and the agency says it has seen a big increase.

In a news release, it said 77 homeless people have died so far this year in the county, which is 19 more than last year. It is a 33% increase, and the highest number recorded in the county over the last 22 years.

"People experiencing homelessness have much shorter life expectancies and are more likely to suffer violence, chronic disease and other health issues," the Homeless Action Partnership said.

According to County data, one in every 144 housed Santa Cruz residents died this year, or 0.7% of the total, but 1 in every 27 homeless residents died, which makes up 3.7% of the total.

The data also shows that homeless people aged 40 and under died at four times the rate of people the same age who were housed.

A virtual memorial ceremony will be held Friday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. To register for the memorial, follow the link here.

The Homeless Action Partnership is a collaboration between the County and cities within the county, along with homeless service providers.