Two hundred and fifty homeless people died in Sacramento in 2022, according to new coroner data — more than ever before.
The list for 2023, which is still being finalized, is currently at 227, and is expected to surpass 250. The number has been climbing steadily since 2020, when there were 137 deaths. In 2013, there were a fraction of the deaths, 60, according to an annual report from the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness.
Some of the names were compiled by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office, and some were compiled independently by The Sacramento Bee.
Here are some key findings from the 2023 list:
Causes
▪ One person died of frostbite.
▪ Two people were killed when trees fell on their tents during a severe January storm.
▪ Three people were killed in homicides.
▪ Four people died in drownings.
▪ Eight people died by suicide.
▪ Fourteen people died from being hit by a vehicle or train.
▪ Twenty-two people died from heart issues, such as cardiac arrests.
▪ One hundred people died of causes related to drugs, including 47 that involved fentanyl.