Orange County’s death rate among those “without fixed abode” (homeless) continued at its record pace, with 41 such people having died in the County in April. Their names are:
Joshua DRUSCHEL who died on April 3rd in Huntington Beach
Anthony MCLAUGHLIN who died on April 3rd in Santa Ana
Antonio PADILLA who died on April 3rd in Orange
Joseph PEREZ who died on April 4th in Anaheim
William THOOS who died on April 5th in Garden Grove
Brennan MARINO who died on April 5th in Santa Ana
Patrick KEARNS III who died on April 5th in Santa Ana
Christopher GREER who died on April 16th in Fullerton
Nancy MARCHAND who died on April 7th in Placentia
Craig JONES who died on April 7th in Cypress
Joshua ROBERTS who died on April 8th in Orange
Ryan LEE who died on April 8th in Santa Ana
Robert CADAVAS who died on April 9th in Anaheim
Kevin KRABBE who died on April 9th in Santa Ana
Mark BAIRD who died on April 11th in Rancho Santa Margarita
Thomas GILLESPIE who died on April 11th in Anaheim
Jay CHRISTENOT who died on April 13th in Santa Ana
Alfredo PINA who died on April 14th in Westminster
Franklin BONILLA who died on April 16th in Santa Ana
Bryan CHI CORTES who died on April 16th in Fullerton
Mark MORRELL who died on April 17th in Orange
Jonathan BRATT who died on April 18th in Irvine
Samantha HINDS who died on April 19th in Fullerton
Nicholas BROWN who died on April 20th in Santa Ana
Randall MACDONALD who died on April 20th in Huntington Beach
Joy NWOKEJI who died on April 21st in Stanton
Jack HURD who died on April 23rd in Santa Ana
Jose RODRIGUEZ-PEREZ who died on April 24th in Lake Forest
Brian LANDCRAFT who died on April 24th in Anaheim
Alejandro GARCIA JR who died on April 25th in Anaheim
Trevor HUGHES who died on April 26th in Santa Ana
Nicholas RAMOS who died on April 27th in Fountain Valley
Charles BURRAGE JR. who died on April 27th in Fullerton
Gregory BAILEY who died on April 28th in Anaheim
Erica LEDESMA who died on April 29th in Los Alamitos
Ivan GUERRERO HERNANDEZ who died on April 29th in Stanton
Manuel MARTINEZ who died on April 30th in Anaheim
So far for the year, 164 people have died “without fixed abode” in the County, last year there were 132, in 2020 there were 100 and in 2019, the last year before the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, there were 71. At this rate, by the end of this month and certainly by the end of June, the number of deaths will exceed the number who died in the whole of 2019.
Yet on Wednesday, May 11, the County hailed in a Press Conference, a 1142 person (16%) “decline in homelessness” based on comparisons of the 2019 and 2022 federally mandated “Point in Time” homeless counts.
Missing in the presentation was the reality that during essentially the same period of time (from February 1, 2019 to January 31, 2022) some 947 people “without fixed abode” (homeless) died in OC.
It could therefore be said that 82.9% of the County’s hailed decrease in homelessness was simply the result of the people in question having been “stepped over [by us] in life” have now “passed to the bosom of Abraham” (cf. Luke 16: 19-31).
Now why are people “without fixed abode” dying at more than double the rate in 2022 than in 2019? Well the year began with the announcement of a Commission headed by OC Sheriff Barnes to study the matter.
And it may sadly be that Fentanyl has become the County’s most effective “homelessness alleviation tool.”
Fr. Dennis Kriz, OSM, Pastor St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, Fullerton.
Opinions expressed in community opinion pieces belong to the authors and not Voice of OC.
Voice of OC is interested in hearing different perspectives and voices. If you want to weigh in on this issue or others please email opinions@voiceofoc.org.