According to a new study, a 25% reduction in homelessness might prevent almost 2,000 deaths from opiate overdoses annually.
Additionally, according to experts from the University of Georgia, it may prevent 850 deaths from alcohol poisoning and 540 deaths from cocaine overdoses. According to the researchers, this is the first study to imply a link between substance use-related mortality and homelessness.
Homelessness and the opioid crisis are “perpetually frustrating for people who study and recommend policy changes,” according to researcher David Bradford, a professor at the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs. According to our research, a causal influence exists. The opioid issue is getting worse because of homelessness.
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Homelessness
In the study, government data on homeless persons from 2007 to 2017 was evaluated by researchers, and the data was compared with death certificates that listed drug overdose or alcohol poisoning as the cause of death. Researchers discovered that reducing homelessness, even a little, could prevent fatalities. For instance, their findings indicate that a mere 10% reduction in homelessness might prevent the overdose deaths of approximately 650 people.
Felipe Lozano-Rojas, an assistant professor in the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs, conducted the research and remarked, “That’s a lot of lives.” “Opioid-related deaths were once uncommon, but they are becoming more common.” Evictions have skyrocketed in recent years with the lifting of the eviction moratorium following the end of the pandemic, researchers said. Nearly 200,000 more people were left homeless in 2023 than in 2017, the federal data show.
“The increase in homelessness that we’ve seen since COVID-19 is probably a significant factor in the increase in opioid-related deaths we’ve seen since COVID started,” Bradford said in a university news release. “If you want to make progress fighting the opioid epidemic, tackling homelessness is one route to do that.” Other studies suggest that dealing with a person’s housing before addressing any addiction issues could best benefit America’s response to the opioid epidemic, researchers said.
But banning evictions isn’t the sole solution, since landlords need to get paid so they have an incentive to make housing available, researchers said. Something as simple as preventing evictions from happening through small claims court can help keep people properly housed, researchers said. Another tack could involve prohibiting retaliation from landlords when tenants report housing law violations.
“It took us decades to get into this problem, and it will take decades to get out of it,” Bradford said. “What I hope people can take away from studies like ours is that we need pragmatic policies that aren’t puritanical or judgmental.” “We need to invest in these people who need help,” Bradford added. “If you give them a chance, they’ll surprise you, and they’ll do well.”
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