10 people experiencing homelessness in Hamilton died in early 2022, doctors say; overdoses lead cause – CBC

Average age at time of death was 43 years, half the overall life expectancy in Hamilton

Oct 09, 2022

Drug overdoses are a leading cause of death for people experiencing homelessness in Hamilton, according to new figures released by a group of local healthcare providers.

The group monitoring mortality rates within the homeless population within the city found that between December 2021 and May 2022 at least 10 people died, out of those, eight people died of an overdose.

According to the group, seven out of the 10 were people staying within a shelter, nine out of 10 were men. The average age at the time of their deaths was 43 years.

“These people are dying very early,” said Dr. Inna Berditchevskaia, a doctor of internal medicine focusing on shelter medicine and homelessness and part of the team documenting these deaths.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hamilton-homeless-deaths-may-2022-1.6606878