Report: Homeless Minnesotans die at three times the rate of general population

New research puts into numbers the staggering toll of living without permanent housing

Clothes are hanging on the fence
Clothes are hanging on the fence at Cedar Riverside encampment near 15th Avenue South and 6th Street South in Minneapolis on Jan. 18 before it was evicted.
Kerem Yucel | MPR News

A new report from the Minnesota Department of Health uncovers the mortality rate of people living without stable housing. Among its most significant findings: people who experience homelessness die at three times the rate of the general population.

This comes as shelters and nonprofits supporting those without housing are being stretched thin during what has been a harsh winter. We've also seen several sweeps of encampments.

MPR News host Tom Crann spoke about the findings with one of the lead researchers of the report, Dr. Kate Diaz Vickery who is a physician and the co-director of the Health, Homelessness, and Criminal Justice Lab at the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute.

To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above.

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