The rate of amenable mortality among homeless people in New Zealand was examined using coroners’ findings for 171 deaths of persons with no fixed abode from 2008 to 2019. The mean age of death was 45.7 years in the homeless population, which corresponded to a reduced life expectancy of 30 years compared with the housed population. Most homeless people had died alone in public places (56%) or private vehicles (14%) as a result of natural causes (45.7%) or suicide (41.5%). Over 75% of deaths were amenable to timely and effective healthcare interventions. The authors commented that the high amenable mortality rate is indicative of the considerable challenges homeless people experience accessing the healthcare system.
