Homeless persons have a reduced life expectancy of roughly 20 years, according to a report released Tuesday by the Department of Public Health and the University of Illinois Chicago’s School of Public Health.  [Health News Illinois]

Between 2017 and 2022, roughly 10,000 Illinoisans lived in shelters, on the street or in another place not meant for human habitation, such as a car or abandoned building.

During that time period, homeless persons racked up more than $16 billion in hospital bills.

The main diagnoses were related to drug abuse, hypertension, alcohol abuse, psychoses, chronic pulmonary disease and depression. 

Per the report, 2,520 unhoused people died.

"The majority were suffering from chronic conditions at their time of death,” said Lee Friedman, a professor at UIC and co-author of the report.

The average age at the time of death was 56.3 years old, compared to 74.2 for the general population.

Homeless persons were nearly 10 times more likely to die from drug-related overdoses, nearly three-and-a-half times more likely to die from traumatic injuries and 38 times more likely to die from excessive cold. 

They were also nearly three times more likely to be murdered.

Nearly all the individuals, 94.5 percent, died in urban counties, compared to about 84 percent of the general population.

Additionally, the report found that between 111,000 and 239,000 Illinoisans each year lived with others, such as family or friends, in unstable arrangements.

“We must choose to collectively chart a new path — one that strengthens communities by prioritizing access to housing, particularly for our most marginalized neighbors,” Illinois Chief Homelessness Officer Christine Haley said.

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