Understanding Mortality Risks Among Unhoused People

Writing in the Maine Morning Star, AnnMarie Hilton explains how a movement to mandate the inclusion of housing status on death certificates is helping to shed light on the causes of death and risk factors for homeless residents.

While Maine doesn’t mandate such reporting, Hilton points out that other states, like Oregon, do. “Having a uniform reporting system for homeless deaths was important for data collection around leading causes of death for homeless residents and addressing the homelessness crisis, according to legislative documents” in that state.

In Maine, “Advocates have warned that sweeping encampments puts unhoused people at risk of dying. A lack of available, low-barrier shelter beds has also spurred this concern during the cold winter months. That fear came to fruition at the end of November when three people died in tents — two as a result of tent fires, one that is still under investigation.”