The BC Coroners Service has released updated data on deaths that occurred among homeless individuals in B.C. to the end of December 2016.
The report summarizes all deaths between 2007 and 2016 where the person who died met the BC Coroners Service definition of homeless.
The report found in 2016, there were 175 deaths of homeless individuals in B.C.
86 per cent of the deaths were considered accidental and of those, 53 per cent were as a result of unintentional drug or alcohol poisoning.
From 2007 to 2016, Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health accounted for 59 per cent of deaths among homeless individuals.
In 2016, the townships with the most deaths among homeless individuals were Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria and Kelowna.
