Opioid Crisis Tripled Deaths Among Philadelphia’s Homeless Population

January 06, 2020 – – New data released regarding the impact of the opioid crisis in Philadelphia has revealed that the homeless population in the city has tripled in the last decade. Philadelphia’s opioid overdose crisis is considered the worst of any big city in the nation, meaning that the epidemic has created a huge impact on the population.

The opioid epidemic is now contributing to the death rates among people experiencing homelessness—rates that are now skyrocketing, according to the new data released by the Office of Homeless Services.

The Office of Homeless Services wrote in a news release that such deaths have tripled within the last nine years. The agency noted that there were only 43 opioid overdose deaths among homeless people in Philadelphia back in 2009. But this figure has reached 132 in 2018.

While in Pennsylvania people in recovery are helping more patients with addiction enter treatment, the problem in Philadelphia is a cause for concern. Philadelphia’s situation is being compared to that of the Pittsburgh area, which was able to knock down their drug overdose rates by 40 percent last year.

For the year 2019, the number of deaths in the homeless population has not yet been confirmed. However, it will likely be only slightly less than in 2018, according to the director of the Office of Homeless Services, Liz Hersh.

Hersh said that most deaths in the city’s homeless population were due to drug overdose. This is a significant change from just a few years ago—between 2009 and 2015—when only about 37 percent of deaths among the homeless population were attributed to overdoses.

Between 2016 and 2018, overdoses accounted for 59 percent of such deaths.

In 2018, nearly all of the fatal overdoses among homeless people involved opioids. The deadly synthetic opioid Fentanyl was present in nearly three-quarters of the deaths reported.

Officials have said that people experiencing homelessness are generally more likely than others to die of drug overdoses.

“I think we knew it was bad, but seeing the numbers in such stark relief, it took my breath away,” Hersh said. “It’s really been this perfect storm of the increased homelessness with the opioid crisis. And the people who are really suffering the most and have been hardest hit are the people who started out with the least.”

The opioid crisis has caused more people to live on the streets of Philadelphia. As the epidemic worsened, the number of homeless people grew. In the summer of 2018, a citywide count revealed that the homeless population in Kensington had more than doubled. Kensington is considered the heart of Philadelphia’s opioid epidemic. More than half the city’s homeless population was concentrated in the neighborhood.

By January 2019, the city’s homeless population had increased by another 5 percent, according to a newer citywide count. Officials took this as an encouraging sign that efforts to get people inside were working. They opened low barrier shelters that don’t require sobriety, according to Hersh. They also made it easier to access addiction treatment and permanent housing.

“But we have to be even more aggressive, diligent, and vigilant in those efforts,” she said. “These are people. They’re not less than anyone else. They’re just people in an unfortunate situation, and it’s not right to write them off.”

If someone in the family is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, it is important to seek help. A combination of medical detox and behavioral therapy can go a long way in the fight against drug abuse. But because every individual is affected by addiction differently, a comprehensive program tailored to their specific needs is necessary. Look for a nearby addiction treatment facility today and find out how drug treatment programs work.

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