137 homeless people died in Sacramento County in 2020, 36% in winter. What’s being done?
In 2020, 137 homeless people died in Sacramento County, 36% of whom died during the winter months.
The percentage of unhoused people who died during the winter was 10% higher than in previous years, according to an annual report by the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness using coroner data.
Six of the deaths were caused by hypothermia, including two from probable hypothermia. In 2019, there were four deaths from hypothermia, including one probable.
The increase in deaths in the winter adds additional pressure on city officials to open respite centers this winter on a daily basis, not only when it hits freezing. The City Council in March voted to open weather respite centers year-round, regardless of temperature, but they have only opened sporadically during recent bouts of heat.
“I think it’s important that this report yet again is a wake-up call for the City Council to keep their promise to people experiencing homelessness,” said Bob Erlenbusch, executive director of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, referring to respite centers. “The planning cannot be last minute as it has in the past.”
Mayor Darrell Steinberg agreed that the city should start planning now to open respite centers this winter, adding that he was “really worried about this.”
“I don’t want to forget the obligation to open as many overnight and daytime respite centers so we get people out of the cold,” Steinberg said during a City Council meeting Sept. 14. “We have to do this.”
In addition to city buildings, Steinberg said he wanted to consider private buildings as well for the centers, including warehouses, restaurants and office buildings. He also wants to consider the lobbies of the Project Roomkey motels, which are sheltering the homeless during the coronavirus pandemic under a state and county program.
The city is also working on implementing its Comprehensive Plan to Address Homelessness, including 20 new sites for shelters, tiny homes and Safe Ground sanctioned tent encampments. But only two of those sites will open in time for the winter. The city must open the respite centers at the same time as implementing the siting plan, Steinberg said.
The city should open the centers daily, not only during the winter, but during the summer and on days when the air quality is impacted by wildfires, Erlenbusch said.
Two of the deaths had heat stroke as one of multiple causes.
The city and county should also increase funding for mental health and substance use treatment services, increase medical respite beds for homeless people discharged from hospitals, and subsidize transportation options for the homeless.
Volunteers in January 2019 counted 5,570 homeless people living in Sacramento County on any given night, including 3,900 sleeping outdoors and in vehicles. Researchers estimated about 10,000 to 11,000 people would likely experience homelessness at some point during the year.
The Homeless Memorial Candlelight Vigil will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 21 outside City Hall.
Other findings from the report
▪ The number of overall homeless deaths was essentially flat from 2019 to 2020. In 2019, there were 138 deaths, and in 2020, there were 137. A big jump occurred from 2016 to 2017, when the number of deaths surged from 71 to 124.
▪ About 72% of the deaths were men, while 28% were women.
▪ About 60% of the deaths were white, 20% were Black, 10% were mixed, 7% were Latino, 3% were Asian and 1.5% were Native American.
▪ About 55% of the deaths occurred outdoors, 29% in a hospital, 7% in a vehicle, 4% in a residence and 4% in a motel.
▪ About 42% of the deaths were from substance use, 23% from injuries, 16% from cardiovascular issues, 8% from respiratory issues, and 12% from other causes.
The deaths include
▪ Drake Williams, 54, died from hypothermia on the sidewalk in the River District near Loaves and Fishes.
▪ Jerry Bell, 57, died at the hospital from hypothermia and environmental exposure.
▪ Vanessa Franklin, 56, died at a residence in south Sacramento from hypothermia
▪ Torre Wofford, 51, died along Arden Creek near Foothill Farms. The primary cause was probable hypothermia and the second was alcohol abuse with intoxication.
▪ Steven Lippelgoos, 66, died at a hospital form bacteremia and a burn impacting 67% of his body surface.
▪ Julie Brown, 39, died near 20th and P streets from toxic effects of methamphetamine.
▪ John Hamil, 65, was found dead from acute pneumonia in Muir Children’s Park.
▪ Kurt Moeller, 51, died in a vehicle in Citrus Heights from probable environmental hypothermia.
▪ Jacob Howery, 26, died after being struck by a vehicle on I-5.
▪ Vickie Walsh, 63, was murdered, with multiple blunt force injuries and probable strangulation, and found outside a South Natomas strip mall
▪ Ryan Johnson, 31, died at the hospital of distributive shock, heat stroke, and methamphetamine overdose.
▪ Jesse Luna, 53, died at the hospital of refractory acidosis, multi-organ failure and heat stroke.
▪ Marissa Zarate-Taporco died of acute carbon monoxide intoxication in a vehicle in a south Sacramento industrial area. She was 3 years old.
This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
