As part of an effort in federal court to reduce Orange County's homeless population, Orange County Sheriff's Department officials Monday released a report that 210 homeless people died last year.
Of those, 11 were classified as homicides, said Carrie Braun of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who has been presiding over settlement negotiations between homeless activists and county and city officials, asked for an accounting of transient deaths.
From New Year's Day through Tuesday, 25 transients died.
Of the 210 who died last year, 75 died of natural causes, the most frequent cause of death. The next highest cause of death was drug overdoses with 44, with 32 cases still pending further drug tests.
"Examining this data allows us to observe causal factors that might assist in preventing the deaths of individuals experiencing homelessness," Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said. "As a member of the Commission to End Homelessness, I will be presenting this data to the commission for further discussion and action aimed at reducing the number of deaths of homeless individuals."
