Substances fuel record homeless deaths in Portland, Oregon

By CLAIRE RUSH
Associated Press/Report for America

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A record 193 homeless people died in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, in 2021. A county report released Wednesday found that substances were involved in about 60% of the deaths. Methamphetamine was the most common drug noted in those deaths. But fentanyl fatalities saw the biggest increase compared with 2020, jumping more than eightfold from 4 deaths to 36. The number of homeless people who died by homicide also reached a new high of 18, mirroring a citywide increase in Portland. More than two-thirds of those were caused by guns. County health officials noted that extreme heat and cold events were other notable factors.