Call for homeless data in the wake of ’hidden’ Qld street deaths

Service providers have pleaded with the Miles government to take the lead nationally and establish a database to document those who die while homeless to unravel a grim puzzle.

Vulnerable homeless Queenslanders are dying alone without “dignity” on city streets, sparking calls for the state government to create a database to help reduce preventable deaths.

Leading homeless care groups say the frequency of deaths on the streets have risen to about 20 a year but the lack of basic records means the true extent of the deadly causes and frequency is hidden

And with the soaring rates of homelessness amid the state’s housing crisis, it’s feared the silent and unanalysed causes of deaths could spike.

Service providers have pleaded with the Miles government to take the lead nationally and establish a database to document those who die while homeless to unravel the grim puzzle.

Footprints Community chief executive Cherylee Treloar said the absence of the information means the sector has no way to grapple with the magnitude of homeless being vulnerable to serious illness and death.

“We really just don’t know how many of these deaths are avoidable because essentially, we’re just dealing with it as we come across people – there just isn’t the information,” she told The Courier-Mail.

Homeless living in Mckillop Park, Rothwell, part of the Premier Steve Miles electorate. Picture: Liam Kidston

Currently, the causes of deaths are collected, such as illness, violence or substance abuse, but the homeless status of the deceased is not.

Ms Treloar stressed the issue is not a failing of the health department or indicative of how vulnerable people receive care.

But she said the collection of data would allow government and advocacy groups to properly resource health approaches while also creating a benchmark to improve upon.

“The first thing is, we just need to know how much of a problem this is,” she said. “It really concerns me from the human dignity perspective

“We live in really affluent cities and we’re an affluent country, people should not be dying on the streets.

“Occasionally someone’s hit by a bus and that’s an accident but someone who is lying in an alleyway passed away – that’s not an accident, that’s neglect.”

Micah Project chief executive Karyn Walsh said a significant number of homeless deaths were preventable if homeless peoples’ health care was more stable and there was an opportunity to provide more care and attention.

Homeless tent and rough living is occurring along the Bicentennial Bikeway from Victoria Bridge though to William Jolly Bridge. Brisbane Wednesday 13th March 2024 Picture David Clark

“Homelessness really exacerbates a lot of the conditions that people have, like diabetes, chronic respiratory conditions, cancer, and heart failure,” Ms Walsh said.

“But we’re not really looking at what homelessness does to people’s health and when they do die prematurely, we’re not even recording if they’re homeless.”

Most datasets capturing homelessness show the rate of people living on the streets has soared in recent years, which Ms Walsh feared would lead to “more people who could die prematurely”.

Premier Steven Miles said he was “always open to good ideas” when asked if the state government would consider creating the database.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles. Picture: David Clark

“In addition to a mammoth boost in funding, we are also undertaking an independent review into the whole homelessness service system,” he said.

“I expect the review will assess the effectiveness of Queensland’s current response to homelessness and opportunities for improvement, including for people living in urban, rural, regional and remote Queensland.”