Dear Coalition:
I am sending this on as a resource I found useful:
'Homelessness Is Lethal': US Deaths Among Those Without Housing Are Surging
by Erin McCormick/Guardian UK posted at Reader Supported News on Feb 7, 2022
(Reader Supported News articles are made available without charge. However, they are independently funded, so you may see desperate requests for support. I do support them as they provide many great articles. So don't let the funding pleas deter you)
The article notes that two researchers in the Seattle area have started a group called Homeless Deaths Count https://homelessdeathscount.org. The goal is to provide accurate information about how many people in the US are dying while unsheltered. As Jan Runbeck and Health Care for the Homeless remind us (see "Homelessness makes you sick" at https://www.hchmd.org/homelessness-makes-you-sick), we need to "count" morbidity as well as mortality, aware of the multiple long term negative health effects that result or worsen with lack of housing. We know also that life expectancy for those living homeless is only 48 years (a 30 year difference compared to average US life expectancy).
The "Homeless Deaths Count" website includes data from a growing list of cities and counties in the US, with some reporting from Washington (King/Snohomish/Yakima counties), but no data from Pierce County. The researchers--Matt Fowle and Fredianne Gray--are actively seeking participation from interested individuals to collect data in their areas that will improve the accuracy of the site. If you are interested, check out their website (https://homelessdeathscount.org).
Rosemary Powers