Overdose was still the leading cause of death this year among people who were homeless in the Denver metro area, but the number of overdose deaths decreased for the first time in six years, according to an annual report based on research from the medical examiner.
Homicides also decreased, but suicides among the homeless population doubled, according to the report from the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
At least 294 people who were homeless died from Nov. 1, 2023, through Oct. 31, according to a count by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, which coordinates services in the metro area. That鈥檚 down slightly from 311 the prior year.
The medical examiner鈥檚 office was able to determine the cause of death for 216 people who died in Denver. Among those, 68% died from overdose 鈥� and most of those overdoses, 75% of them, were due to fentanyl. That鈥檚 115 deaths attributed to fentanyl out of 153 overdose deaths.
Overdose deaths had increased by 18% in 2023, but plateaued this year, dropping 0.6%. It was the first year since 2017 that overdose deaths did not rise.
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