A research team at the Université de Sherbrooke has released findings indicating that deaths among people without stable housing in Quebec surged by roughly 180 percent between 2020 and 2024. The increase, documented over a four-year span, marks a sharp upward trend in mortality within the province's unhoused population.
The study represents the first systematic effort by the province to track annual deaths among individuals experiencing homelessness. Prior to this project, Quebec had not compiled consistent data on the subject, leaving a gap in public health and social service records. By assembling and analysing available records, the researchers were able to quantify the scale of the rise for the first time.
According to the report, the number of deaths recorded in 2024 was nearly three times the figure documented in 2020. While the exact causes of death were not detailed in the summary, the magnitude of the increase suggests a growing vulnerability among the unhoused community during the period studied. The researchers emphasized that the lack of previous systematic data had limited policymakers' ability to assess and respond to mortality trends among this group.
The findings arrive amid broader discussions about housing insecurity and public health in Quebec. Officials and service providers are expected to examine the new data to better understand the factors contributing to the spike and to consider strategies for prevention and support. The university team hopes that the study will serve as a baseline for future monitoring and that regular data collection will become a standard practice.
By establishing a clear statistical picture of homeless deaths for the first time, the Université de Sherbrooke's research highlights an urgent need for targeted interventions and ongoing surveillance to address the rising mortality rate among Quebec's most vulnerable residents.