LOS ANGELES — More homeless people in Orange County, California, are dying each year, and accidental drug overdoses involving fentanyl are a leading reason why, according to a new county report.
Within a 10-year span, the report found, the number of deaths of people experiencing homelessness more than quadrupled, with 395 deaths recorded in the county in 2021.
By 2021, the report found, 36% of the deaths of homeless people in the county were directly linked to fentanyl. An additional 8% were linked to overdoses involving other drugs.