Fentanyl deaths ‘skyrocketed’ among Portland homeless in 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Multnomah County’s annual report of deaths of people experiencing homelessness reveals heartbreaking statistics including a large spike in those attributed to fentanyl use compared to previous years. 

For Multnomah County’s Domicile Unknown 2022 report, which was released Wednesday morning, 315 deaths of those who were unhoused were recorded. This year’s report includes not only Multnomah County Medical Examiner statistics, as in previous years, but also numbers from vital statistics by way of funeral director reporting due to an Oregon Legislature mandate.

The data breaks out to be 249 deaths recorded by the medical examiner’s office, with 66 from vital statistics. Between 2018 and 2022, the report shows deaths identified by the medical examiner’s office have increased 29% each year. 

Alarmingly, deaths attributed to fentanyl have “skyrocketed,” according to Street Roots Executive Director Kaia Sand in her introduction to the report. While there were zero deaths attributed to the drug in 2016, the number has grown in recent years; four 2020 deaths were traced to fentanyl, 36 in 2021 and an astounding 91 deaths in 2022. 

Sand highlighted the disturbing trend as a problem both on Portland streets and at the national level.

“In other words, about the same number of people who died while experiencing homelessness for any reason in 2018 died this year with fentanyl alone as a cause of death. Fentanyl poisoning is killing people across North America.”

The average age at death of those who died while experiencing homelessness was 49, almost three decades younger than the average U.S. life expectancy, the report said. 

The report also highlighted an uptick in the number of deaths attributed to homicide, coinciding with the rise of overall homicides in Portland in recent years. Deaths by suicide also doubled from 2021 numbers.

The entire Domicile Unknown 2022 report can be found on Multnomah County’s website.