MILWAUKEE — For the past seven years, Eva Welch, one of the co-founders of Milwaukee's Street Angels, has been dedicated to helping people living on the streets. But she and her team have begun to notice a concerning trend. As each year passes, the death of homeless people in the community continues to grow.
"It's tragic," said Welch.
According to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office (MCMEO), 21 homeless people in Milwaukee County died in 2018, 40 died in 2020, and there were 52 deaths in 2021. The leading cause: substance abuse.
"So many of them use it to cope, so many of them use it to self-medicate, so many of them use it because of social pressures," said Welch.
Dan Grellinger, who joined street angels specifically to address addiction in the community, says between 80% to 90% of the people they serve have some sort of substance abuse issue.
"It's extremely hard to know these people and see what they have to face and then see that their life ends early," said Grellinger.
Advocates believe the pandemic, along with an increase in fentanyl usage, has played a role in why more homeless people are dying each year.
"People aren't getting in the streets what they think they are. Everything is being cut with fentanyl," said Captain David Polachowski, supervisor of the Milwaukee Overdose Program with the Milwaukee Fire Department.
In order to combat this trend, they say two big things need to be done. Continue to educate and provide the community with Narcan, fentanyl testing strips, and addiction support services. Along with making treatment centers more accessible.
"When you look at where all of the treatment centers are, they're mostly on the outskirts of the city. When you look at where all the drug users are, they're typically in the middle of the city," said Welch.
"The more people we have that have the training and have Narcan are potentially going to save someone's life," said Cpt. Polachowski
