Methamphetamine, fentanyl drive record homeless deaths in Portland, Oregon, annual report finds

Homeless deaths in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, have reached a new, somber record

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Fentanyl and methamphetamine drove a record number of homeless deaths last year in Oregon's Multnomah County, home to Portland, according to an annual report released by regional officials Wednesday.

At least 315 homeless people died in 2022 in the Portland area, the report found. More than half of the fatalities — 123 — were from drug overdoses. Methamphetamine contributed to 85% of overdose deaths, and fentanyl contributed to 74%.

Kaia Sand, executive director of Street Roots, a newspaper that covers issues related to homelessness, has worked on the annual report for years. In the report, she wrote that this year’s edition “demonstrates the devastating impact of fentanyl."

“The first year I worked on this report — 2016 — fentanyl was not associated with any deaths,” she wrote. “In 2020, four deaths were tracked to fentanyl, and by 2021, that number rose to 36 deaths. This year, the number skyrocketed to 91 deaths.”

The figures underlie the increased risk of death facing people who live outside, and it comes as homelessness in the U.S. this year jumped a dramatic 12% to its highest reported level.