Austin homelessness report reveals rising death toll among unhouse population [Video]

AUSTIN, Texas — A new report from the Ending Community Homeless Coalition (ECHO) is shedding new light on the deaths of some of Austin’s most vulnerable residents over the past few years.

ECHO released its first unhoused mortality report, “Bridging for Better Outcomes,” on Wednesday. The report examined data from several sources, including the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), hospital records, medical examiner death data and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past six years. It paints a picture of how and why unhoused people died on the streets of Austin.

The report found between 2018 and 2023, 1,010 unhoused people died. The average age was 50, which is 20 years younger than the life expectancy of someone with stable housing.

“People are dying too often and too early in our community, and it’s entirely preventable,” ECHO Health Care …