“The thousandth name was added to this list recently” he said, as our professor directed our focus to the Homeless Memorial.

I felt all tangled up inside trying to process that number.

One thousand lives. One thousand deaths. One thousand preventable deaths.

By preventable I mean: she didn’t have to be beat, he didn’t have to be shot, they could have healed from their mental health issue, he didn’t have to freeze on the streets, and she didn’t have to jump in front of the TTC.

 The list includes men and women who died in emergency shelters, or on the street, or from any of the many dangers tied to a lack of stable housing and poverty, including violence, addiction, suicide, untreated mental and physical health issues, exposure and neglect.

Mathieu, Emily. “The Toronto Homeless Memorial Now Lists More than 1,000 Lives Lost. These Are the Names We Know.” Thestar.com, 14 Jan. 2020, http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/01/14/1000-names-are-now-listed-on-the-toronto-homeless-memorial.html.

The Star reported that the names on the homeless memorial list are obtained either from word of mouth or from city documents. The names on the list begin in the 1980s, however it was not until 2012 that the city officially began counting the homeless deaths. This all goes to show us that the true count of homeless deaths is likely well over 1000.

Looking across the street, I saw the tall, bright, Eaton Centre, full of life, standing over the small memorial box, that held names of the dead, the paper laid out like an accordian to fit in the box.

In the distance of a few strides, I saw two different worlds. One of the which often avoids the other. One of which may not truly know the harsh reality of the other.

The chance of living a normal life span is reduced by 40% for homeless people (Webster, 2017). There is not one clear cut cause of homeless death. Instead, there are multiple, interwoven, causes that all stem from the risks that come with inadequate living conditions and poverty. Many homeless people face unsafe conditions that lead them to get murdered and assaulted. Indigenous people in particular are at a higher risk of this violence (Webster, 2017). Many homeless people die from overdose, and many also die from suicide.

From 1998 to 2012, homeless and precariously housed people’s suicides accounted for 9% of all the suicides in Toronto (Sinyor, 2017). Although each case of suicide is idiosyncratic, we see common factors among the suicides from this study, such as the lack of homeless social services, housing difficulties, mental disabilities, and health problems. Lack of social connectivity is another contributing factor which can be deduced from the observation that most homeless individuals do not leave a suicide note (Sinyor, 2017). As saddening as it is, the city becomes a means to end their lives as many homeless individuals will choose the method of jumping off of a bridge, building or in front of the subway.

Just from looking at homeless suicides, which is only one type of homeless deaths, a plethora of contributing factors that in and of themselves are extremely large issues are uncovered. Clearly, there needs to be more specific prevention strategies aimed at helping different homeless people. In order for there to be prevention, there needs to be the demand for action from the public. And for there to be this demand, we need an increased awareness of homeless deaths.

Let’s keep the conversation alive about these preventable deaths.