More than 450 unhoused people died in B.C. in 2023, almost tripling 2020 toll

New data from the BC Coroners Service says at least 458 people experiencing homelessness in the province died in 2023, with the toll almost tripling in just three years.

The service says in a news release there's been a 23 per cent increase from the 373 recorded deaths of unhoused people the year before.

It says 91 per cent of the 2023 deaths were classified as accidental, including 86 per cent due to drug toxicity.

The data show 79 per cent of those who died were male, while more than half were between the ages of 30 and 49.

Chief Coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan says the numbers speak to the "tragic reality of the struggles many face in our communities throughout B.C."

The death toll is up by 195 per cent from the 155 who died in 2020.

Baidwan says that between 2016 and 2023, 1,940 deaths among people identified as unhoused were reported to the Coroners Service.

The coroners service defines a person experiencing homelessness as someone living outdoors or in a car, or in emergency, temporary or short-term shelter.

The data was released the same day that the provincial and federal governments announced they had signed an agreement to contribute $39.9 million each over two years to help support unhoused people.

A news release from B.C.'s housing ministry on Friday said the funding will be made available in Vancouver, Abbotsford and Kamloops.

The coroners service report says 28 per cent of deaths among the unhoused in 2023 happened in winter, and 27 per cent in spring.

It says 26 per cent happened in the Fraser Health Authority, while 25 per cent occurred in the Island Health region.