124 people died while homeless in 2022, research finds

According to the latest figures released by the Health Research Board (HRB), 124 people died while homeless in 2022, which decreased from 133 in 2021.

The figures show that most of the deaths occurred in both Dublin City and County, which accounted for 57% of the deaths, although 7% occurred in Cork City and County.

Sadly, of these numbers, 71 people were alone when they passed away, with 36 people dying in a public space.

Most of the people who died had a history of substance abuse, which accounted for 84% of the deaths, but mental health difficulties also accounted for a significant number.

When it came to gender, 81% of the deaths were men and had a median age of 47 years. Sixteen of these people had also been sleeping rough in the months leading up to their deaths.

However, 27% of the deaths occurred while living in emergency accommodation.

A third of the deaths were caused by overdoses, 84% of these were men and 16% were women.

According to the HRB report, the majority of people who were homeless at the time of their death had a lifetime history of substance use.

Among the people who used any drug, which excluded alcohol, the most common drugs used were cocaine (72.4%), heroin (53.3%) and benzodiazepines (31.7%).

Commenting on the report, HRB Chief Executive Dr Gráinne Gorman, said:

“Our report today highlights the complexity of homelessness and the difficulties faced by some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

“The Health Research Board captures and analyses this data to better understand the circumstances of these deaths and provide evidence that informs harm reduction strategies and future policies to help prevent them.”

Cathy Kelleher, Research Officer at HRB, said:

“We know from our data that serious medical conditions, problem drug use and mental ill health were still among the additional challenges faced by the people who died while homeless, with many people impacted by more than one of these at the time of death.

“While the circumstances surrounding these deaths are similar to previous years, the increase in the number of people who have died while homeless is significant.

“The HRB will continue to monitor these trends over time and inform policymakers and service providers.”

This data is sourced from coroner files, which are often closed, causing delays. The data in the HRB report was correlated from the National Drug-Realted Deaths Index methodology.