More homeless people are dying than ever before throughout the Fraser Valley, with the latest report from the BC Coroners Service showing that 2023 set an all-time high for nearly every region in the province.
The Fraser East Health Service Delivery Area – which includes Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission, and Agassiz/Harrison – had a particularly destructive year, with 2023 being the fifth year in a row that the number of deaths of people experiencing homelessness had risen.
A total of 50 homeless people died in the Fraser East region in 2023, which is an increase of 16 per cent from 2022. This high number of deaths makes Fraser East the third-worst region in the province, which is actually a drop in position from the previous year where the region was the second-worst only to Vancouver.
According to the report, this includes anyone who died while living in a make-shift shelter, parked vehicle, vacant home, emergency shelter, safe house for youth, transition house, temporary accommodations of less than 30 days with friends or family, or other structures not intended for habitation.
Chief coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan said that these latest numbers bring the total number of homeless deaths throughout the province to nearly 2,000 between 2016 and 2023.
"The data speaks to the tragic reality of the struggles many face in our communities throughout B.C.," Baidwan said.
Not only is the total number of homeless individuals dying on the rise, but so is the percentage of these deaths that are caused by drug overdoses.
B.C. had 394 drug-related deaths amongst its homeless population in 2023, which accounted for 86 per cent of the total deaths. In 2022, drug overdoses only made up 83 per cent of the province's total homeless deaths.
