Every city in America tries to get an accurate count of the number of unhoused people, but few record their deaths. Alameda County has been analyzing homeless deaths since 2018. There’s a reason for that.
Billie Bobb lives in an RV and is the owner of a gigantic pile of goods. He’s been unhoused since 1988.
The “why” is irrelevant he told ABC7 News, what’s important is that he’s learned to adjust.
“God fulfilled his promise, three scores and ten,” he said.
‘Three scores and ten’ is a Biblical term meaning a life expectancy of 70 years old. Billie Bobb is 71.
But for those living on the streets in all of Alameda County, the average age of those who die experiencing homelessness is 52, most are male and African American.
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According to the most recent numbers compiled, 351 unhoused people died in Alameda County in 2022.