Image: CFJC Today / Nearly a dozen unhoused people died in Chilliwack in 2022, a sizable increase from just two years prior, according to the latest findings from the BC Coroners Service.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Homeless deaths in Chilliwack

Number of unhoused people who died in Chilliwack doubles in just two years; B.C. homeless are overwhelmingly male

Dec 14, 2023 | 1:11 PM

CHILLIWACK — Nearly a dozen unhoused people died in Chilliwack in 2022, a sizable increase from just two years prior, according to the latest findings from the BC Coroners Service.

Reported in deaths dating back to the full calendar year of 2015 show Chilliwack had one accidental death eight years ago. The number of deaths among people experiencing homelessness jumped considerably up to seven the following year in 2016, and remained fairly steady between 5-7 deaths annually until 2022, when there were 11 homeless people whose deaths were recorded as accidental. In 2022, five unhoused people in Chilliwack died, according to the BC Coroners Service. Altogether, there have been 48 recorded deaths in Chilliwack between 2015-2022.

Over in Abbotsford, a city with at least 45,000 more people than Chilliwack the past decade, the number of accidental deaths among unhoused people started off fairly low with three in 2015 before jumping up to eight and 13 deaths, respectively in 2016 and 2017. In 2022, there were 17 people who died, and 83 unhoused people who died between 2015-2022.

During the period studied (2015-22), there were 1,464 deaths involving individuals identified as experiencing homelessness in British Columbia, equating to an average of 183 deaths per year. There was a significant increase from this average in 2021 and 2022. Almost three quarters (74 per cent) of decedents were aged between 30 and 59, and 82 per cent were male.

Because housing data was unavailable at the time of analysis, rates of death and any possible correlation between deaths and the number of people experiencing homelessness in the province could not be determined, the province stated in its news release Thursday (Dec. 14).

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Just as it has across all demographics and in communities throughout B.C., provincial authorities assert that the toxic drug supply has significantly contributed to the increased number of deaths among people who are precariously housed or experiencing homelessness. More than eight out of every 10 deaths in the review period were classified as accidental, and of those accidental deaths, more than nine in 10 were determined to have been caused by unregulated drugs.

For the purposes of the report, an individual experiencing homelessness was defined as:

* A person living outdoors, in a make-shift shelter, a parked vehicle, a vacant home or any other structure not intended for habitation; or

* A person staying at an emergency shelter (overnight) or who is temporarily sheltered (suspected to be for less than 30 days) by friends or family, in a short-term shelter, safe house for youth or transition house for women and children fleeing violence.

* Persons residing in short-term shelters, safe houses or transition houses for an unknown length of time were also included.

Some individuals who do not meet the above definitions of homelessness may be considered homeless under other definitions. Examples of individuals who were not considered homeless for the purposes of this report include: people in correctional institutions, hospitals or residential drug or alcohol treatment facilities; and people who have permanent residences but are considered at high risk of homelessness because of unemployment, domestic violence or other factors.

Other findings from the province:

* Between 2015 and 2020, the annual average was 143 deaths. In comparison, the annual average from 2021 to 2022 was 305 deaths.

* More deaths occurred in the fall (27 per cent) and winter (26 per cent) months of the year.

* The most impacted health authorities were Fraser (32 per cent of deaths) and Vancouver Coastal (24 per cent).

by Mike Vanden Bosch

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Number of unhoused people who died in Chilliwack doubles in just two years; B.C. homeless are overwhelmingly male

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