Homeless deaths in Norfolk almost doubled
The average age of those who died was just 43.
The number of people who have died while homeless has nearly doubled in Norfolk amid a record rise nationally.
Research by the Museum of Homelessness has revealed nine people died in the county last year – up from just five in 2023.
The average age of the deaths recorded in Norfolk was just 43 years old.
These deaths have been described as “unforgivable” by campaigners, who have called on the government and local authorities to do more to tackle a rising tide of homelessness.
Researchers at the museum said the deaths reported in Norfolk during 2024 occurred across the county, with two deaths recorded in Norwich, Great Yarmouth, West Norfolk and South Norfolk. One was recorded in North Norfolk.
Three people were reported as having died while sleeping rough on the streets, while the other deaths occurred while the person was in temporary accommodation.
Of the ages recorded, the people who died were an average age of 43.
In 2023, there were five deaths recorded and there were six people who died while homeless in 2022.
Across the East of England, there were 96 deaths. This is a rise of 41pc compared to the 68 in 2023.
Of the deaths, 34pc were given as being caused by physical health problems, 44pc as being drugs or alcohol related and 11pc as suicide.
The number of deaths also spiked during the winter months.
In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile deaths of people while homeless.
This includes Marie Cattermole, 32, who was found unresponsive in Prince of Wales Road in Norwich in 2022.
Malcolm Livingstone, a military veteran who served as a pallbearer for Princess Diana, was also found dead outside a church in King’s Lynn after struggling with alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In Great Yarmouth, Nigel Mazs, 59, who struggled with drug addiction, was killed after being kicked in the head during an argument with another man.
The Museum of Homelessness has called the findings “deeply troubling” and has blamed the rise on a “failure to build genuinely affordable housing, to invest in accessible community-based mental health services and to act on clear evidence around overdose prevention”.
Dr Jan Sheldon, chief executive of St Martins Trust, which helps people facing homelessness in Norwich and Norfolk, said: “The rise in the number of deaths on the streets is a failure of successive governments not to adequately address the root causes of homelessness and rough sleeping.
“It’s unforgivable – people should not be dying on our streets in 2025.
“In Norwich we have seen an increase in the number of people sleeping rough. This is replicated across Norfolk. The number of deaths on the streets is a direct result of the cost-of-living crisis, Local Authority cuts and increases in employer National Insurance payments."
Homelessness minister Alison McGovern said such deaths must be seen as an “abject failure that cannot be tolerated”.
She said the Government is speeding up efforts to tackle the root causes of homelessness."