For the first time since Los Angeles County began tracking deaths among people experiencing homelessness in 2014, the number of lives lost actually went down in 2024. County data show about 2,208 deaths last year, roughly 300 fewer than in 2023, with an overall mortality rate that dropped about 10%.
The biggest shift came from a steep decline in drug overdoses. The county counted 884 overdose deaths among unhoused residents in 2024, down from 1,140 the year before, and overdoses' share of all homeless fatalities slipped from 45% to 40%, according to a report by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The report also finds the overdose death rate among people experiencing homelessness fell about 21% in 2024, although it still sits at roughly twice the level recorded in 2019.
Public health leaders are not treating the trend as a reason to relax. "At a time of major reductions in federal and state funding for homeless services and supports, we are at risk of losing precious ground," DPH Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement released with the report, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. County officials credited expanded naloxone distribution, beefed up street outreach, and recovery-oriented housing with helping drive down overdose deaths.
Other causes of death moved in the opposite direction. Traffic-related deaths and suicides rose in 2024, even as homicide and coronary heart disease deaths declined. The county analysis found traffic injury deaths among unhoused people climbed 25% to a rate of about 315 per 100,000, with roughly 230 pedestrians or cyclists killed in 2024, and suicide increased about 21%, according to reporting by LAist. Homicides declined for the second straight year, the county said.
What Is Driving The Drop?
Officials point to a mix of overdose prevention, on-the-ground outreach, and more people coming indoors. County researchers say wider access to naloxone and investments in harm reduction services likely helped cut overdose deaths, and city leaders highlighted the Inside Safe program for moving thousands of people into interim shelter, according to a statement from Mayor Karen Bass’s office. The report urges expanding housing, mental health care, and substance use treatment, along with a deeper review of traffic fatalities to better target safety interventions.
Why The Gains May Be Fragile
Health officials warn that recent budget decisions could chip away at the progress. County leaders trimmed roughly $200 million from homelessness programs this winter, and state shelter funding faces reductions, moves that public health experts say could reverse the improvements, according to the Los Angeles Times. The report’s authors recommend preserving and carefully targeting prevention and treatment dollars to keep the decline from being a one-year blip.
Even with the drop, the scale of loss remains stark. The county still recorded an average of about six deaths per day among people experiencing homelessness in 2024, and mortality rates for unhoused residents remain more than four times higher than for the general population, reporting shows. Public health officials say the first recorded decline offers a foothold for policy action, but add that protecting the gains will require continued funding and a sustained focus on housing, harm reduction, and traffic safety measures.
