According to the local Department of Public Health's report, in 2020 more homeless people died because of drugs than because of COVID-19 in Los Angeles, where homelessness has always been a concern.
According to Los Angeles County records, during the first year of the pandemic, there was a 56% rise in death among homeless people in the county, mostly due to drug overdoses rather than COVID-19.
According to the local Department of Public Health's report (pdf given below), "Mortality among People Experiencing Homelessness in Los Angeles County: One Year Before and After the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic," there were 1,988 homeless deaths in the county between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, up from 1,271 deaths a year earlier.
In both years, drug overdoses were the leading cause of death, with a 78% increase in the first year of the pandemic. In the year leading up to the pandemic, there were 402 fatal overdose deaths, which jumped to 715 deaths in the year following th...