In January, The Beacon | Wichita reporter Trace Salzbrenner published an article that revealed a lack of a reliable tally of the number of deaths of homeless people in Wichita. Kathy Bowles, a nurse who volunteers with the nonprofit Advocates to End Chronic Homelessness, told Salzenbrenner that 42 homeless people died on the streets of Wichita.
Without AECH, which tracks the deaths for an annual memorial service, deaths of homeless people would likely go uncounted. Salzbrenner’s reporting showed that number couldn’t be verified — neither the city of Wichita nor Sedgwick County was tracking unhoused deaths. Each thought the other was responsible.
After The Beacon’s story, county leaders, including commission chair Ryan Baty, promised to work with the county coroner to track the deaths of homeless people.
Those records could give Wichita a better understanding of the scale of its homelessness and better spot trends that could prioritize services to that population.
