The short version
Claim we investigated
A growing share of King County's overdose deaths are among people living in subsidized and supportive housing.
True. About 1 in 4 deaths so far in 2026 were in this housing, up from 1 in 8 in 2019. From January to early November, 163 of 640 overdose deaths in 2026 were among people in this housing, up from 41 of 328 in 2019. This year, those deaths held steady while others fell about a quarter.
Quote or cite this fact-check
FactHub rates the claim “A growing share of King County's overdose deaths are among people living in subsidized and supportive housing” True (high confidence): About 1 in 4 deaths so far in 2026 were in this housing, up from 1 in 8 in 2019. Reviewed November 6, 2026. https://facthub.org/n/article/king-county-overdose-deaths-subsidized-housing/3
Key points
What the evidence establishes
- Established. About 1 in 8 overdose deaths were among people in this housing in 2019 (41 of 328); in 2026 so far, about 1 in 4 (163 of 640).
- Established. In 2026 so far, these deaths held steady (162 to 163), while deaths in private homes fell 23% and deaths outdoors or in shelters fell 26%.
- Established. From 2019 to 2025, yearly deaths in this housing grew almost four times over, while federally counted supportive housing beds grew 27%.
- Context. Counting only permanent supportive housing, a county review found about 16 overdose deaths a month from January 2024 to September 2025.
- Not shown. These numbers show what share of deaths happened in this housing, not how risky it is for each resident or that it causes overdoses.
- Context. Overall, King County had about twice as many overdose deaths in 2025 as in 2019, while U.S. deaths were back to 2019 levels.
The evidence
The conclusion rests on the combined record. Expand each item to see its role and limitations.
| Method | Institution / country | Year(s) | What it shows | Key limitation | Primary links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counts from the King County Medical Examiner's public overdose dashboard, by presumed living situation, for January 1 to November 5 of each year | King County Medical Examiner's Office, Public Health - Seattle & King County United States | 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | Among deaths with a known living situation, the share in subsidized and supportive housing rose from 12.5% in 2019 to 25.5% in 2026, with a dip to 20.5% in 2025. In 2026 these deaths held steady (162 to 163) while deaths in private homes fell 23% and among people outdoors, in shelters or in vehicles fell 26%. The pattern holds if the 28 extra deaths not yet categorized in 2026 are all assigned to any one other group. | The county's category combines permanent supportive, income-restricted and recovery housing, and the county warns that some living situations may be inconsistently categorized. 2026 is provisional. | FactHub dataset FactHub dataset FactHub dataset Public Health - Seattle & King County |
| Seattle Office of City Auditor audit of overdose and crime concentrations, using Medical Examiner records for 2020 to 2023 | Seattle Office of City Auditor United States | 2020, 2023, 2024 | The auditor counted overdose deaths among people in supportive, subsidized or recovery housing rising from 73 (14% of the total) in 2020 to 279 (21%) in 2023. It concluded that housing alone does not sufficiently address overdose risk. Deaths among people unsheltered or in shelters rose faster over the same years, from 59 to 316. | The audit uses the same Medical Examiner records, so it confirms the counts rather than offering an independent measurement. | Seattle Office of City Auditor |
| King County Overdose Fatality Review, a multi-agency case review of overdose deaths, 2025 report | King County Overdose Fatality Review, Public Health - Seattle & King County United States | 2024, 2025 | The review found an average of 16 overdose deaths a month among people living in permanent supportive housing from January 2024 to September 2025. It calls supportive housing a necessary model and recommends more staff, peer support, and both harm-reduction and recovery-focused options. | The review is run by the county, which funds much of this housing; it reports supportive housing alone only for 2024 and 2025, so no longer trend is available on that narrower definition. | King County Overdose Fatality Review |
| Comparison of full-year Medical Examiner counts with HUD Housing Inventory Count beds for Seattle/King County | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, King County Medical Examiner's Office United States | 2019, 2025 | Permanent housing beds for people leaving homelessness, as counted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), rose 27%, from 7,718 in 2019 to 9,791 in 2025. Overdose deaths in subsidized and supportive housing rose 3.8 times, from 50 to 192. Deaths among people outdoors, in shelters or in vehicles rose 3.3 times, and in private homes 1.8 times. | Beds are not residents, and HUD's count leaves out most income-restricted and recovery housing, so this compares growth rather than measuring a death rate. | FactHub dataset FactHub dataset |
| Randomized trial of supportive housing for 724 frequent jail users in Denver, evaluated by the Urban Institute | Urban Institute United States | 2016, 2021 | About 6% of participants died within two years, and deaths were about the same whether or not people were offered supportive housing (7% versus 5%, not a significant difference). Housing did not lower deaths, and the trial gives no sign that it raised them. | The trial was in Denver, counted deaths from all causes rather than overdoses, and ended before fentanyl dominated the drug supply. | Urban Institute |
2. The Seattle City Auditor reported the same rise Seattle Office of City Auditor audit of overdose and crime concentrations, using Medical Examiner records for 2020 to 2023
The auditor counted overdose deaths among people in supportive, subsidized or recovery housing rising from 73 (14% of the total) in 2020 to 279 (21%) in 2023. It concluded that housing alone does not sufficiently address overdose risk. Deaths among people unsheltered or in shelters rose faster over the same years, from 59 to 316.
Limit: The audit uses the same Medical Examiner records, so it confirms the counts rather than offering an independent measurement.
Verify: Overdose and Crime Concentrations audit (July 9, 2024)
- Overdose deaths among people in supportive, subsidized or recovery housing rose from 73 (14% of all) in 2020 to 279 (21%) in 2023. Seattle Office of City Auditor
- The auditor concluded that housing alone does not sufficiently address overdose risk. Seattle Office of City Auditor
- Overdose deaths among people unsheltered or in emergency shelters rose faster, from 59 in 2020 to 316 in 2023. Seattle Office of City Auditor · Qualifies
3. The county's overdose review counts deaths in supportive housing alone King County Overdose Fatality Review, a multi-agency case review of overdose deaths, 2025 report
The review found an average of 16 overdose deaths a month among people living in permanent supportive housing from January 2024 to September 2025. It calls supportive housing a necessary model and recommends more staff, peer support, and both harm-reduction and recovery-focused options.
Limit: The review is run by the county, which funds much of this housing; it reports supportive housing alone only for 2024 and 2025, so no longer trend is available on that narrower definition.
Verify: King County Overdose Fatality Review 2025 Report
- An average of 16 overdose deaths a month occurred among people in permanent supportive housing from January 2024 to September 2025. King County Overdose Fatality Review
- The review calls supportive housing necessary and says it needs funding and staffing that match residents' needs. King County Overdose Fatality Review · Qualifies
4. Deaths grew far faster than the housing supply Comparison of full-year Medical Examiner counts with HUD Housing Inventory Count beds for Seattle/King County
Permanent housing beds for people leaving homelessness, as counted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), rose 27%, from 7,718 in 2019 to 9,791 in 2025. Overdose deaths in subsidized and supportive housing rose 3.8 times, from 50 to 192. Deaths among people outdoors, in shelters or in vehicles rose 3.3 times, and in private homes 1.8 times.
Limit: Beds are not residents, and HUD's count leaves out most income-restricted and recovery housing, so this compares growth rather than measuring a death rate.
Verify: King County overdose deaths by where people lived: deaths compared with HUD beds King County overdose deaths by where people lived: 2025 compared with 2019
- HUD permanent supportive and other permanent housing beds grew 27% (7,718 to 9,791) from 2019 to 2025, while deaths in this housing grew 3.8 times. FactHub dataset
- Full-year overdose deaths rose 3.8 times in subsidized and supportive housing (50 to 192), 3.3 times outdoors/shelters/vehicles (64 to 208) and 1.8 times in private homes from 2019 to 2025. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
5. A randomized trial found housing did not change deaths Randomized trial of supportive housing for 724 frequent jail users in Denver, evaluated by the Urban Institute
About 6% of participants died within two years, and deaths were about the same whether or not people were offered supportive housing (7% versus 5%, not a significant difference). Housing did not lower deaths, and the trial gives no sign that it raised them.
Limit: The trial was in Denver, counted deaths from all causes rather than overdoses, and ended before fentanyl dominated the drug supply.
Verify: Improving Health Care through Housing First: Denver Supportive Housing Social Impact Bond Initiative
- Deaths within two years were about the same for people offered supportive housing and for the control group. Urban Institute · Qualifies
Common questions 8
“King County's overdose deaths are back down to where they were before fentanyl.”
Short answer: No, about double 2019
No: King County had 914 overdose deaths in 2025, about twice the 429 in 2019. U.S. deaths were back to 2019 levels. King County's deaths are falling, down 15% so far in 2026, but from a much higher level. Fentanyl, a very strong opioid now mixed into many street drugs, reached the West Coast later than the East, which explains part of the gap.
- In 2025, U.S. overdose deaths were 0.99 times 2019's, Washington's 2.37 times and King County's 2.13 times (914 against 429). FactHub dataset · Qualifies
- From 2025 to 2026 (January 1 to November 5), deaths in subsidized and supportive housing went from 162 to 163, while private homes fell 23%, outdoors/shelters/vehicles 26%, and all deaths 15%. FactHub dataset
See the evidence: County death records: the share in this housing doubled
“Supportive housing takes the people most likely to overdose, so more deaths there is expected.”
Short answer: True, but not the whole story
Residents are older and sicker than most people; at one Seattle supportive housing operator, 95% were 50 or older. That explains a high level of deaths. It does not explain why this was the only group whose deaths did not fall in 2026.
- Supportive housing residents are older and high-risk: 95% of one operator's residents were 50 or older. Seattle Office of City Auditor · Qualifies
- From 2025 to 2026 (January 1 to November 5), deaths in subsidized and supportive housing went from 162 to 163, while private homes fell 23%, outdoors/shelters/vehicles 26%, and all deaths 15%. FactHub dataset
See the evidence: County death records: the share in this housing doubled
“More people live in this housing now, so more deaths there are expected.”
Short answer: Not enough to explain it
More housing explains only part of it. Permanent housing beds counted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grew 27% from 2019 to 2025, while overdose deaths in this housing grew almost four times. HUD's count leaves out income-restricted and recovery housing, so the true death rate per resident is unknown.
See the evidence: Deaths grew far faster than the housing supply
“People who would have died on the street are now dying indoors instead.”
Short answer: Partly
Some of the rise likely reflects people moving from the street into housing. But deaths outdoors, in shelters and in vehicles also rose 3.3 times from 2019 to 2025. Since the 2023 peak, those deaths fell 53%, against 33% in subsidized and supportive housing.
- Full-year overdose deaths rose 3.8 times in subsidized and supportive housing (50 to 192), 3.3 times outdoors/shelters/vehicles (64 to 208) and 1.8 times in private homes from 2019 to 2025. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
- Since 2023, deaths fell 33% in subsidized and supportive housing, 45% in private homes and 53% outdoors/shelters/vehicles; Seattle and South King County each fell 43%. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
See the evidence: Deaths grew far faster than the housing supply
“Living in supportive housing causes overdoses.”
Short answer: Not shown
No. A randomized trial in Denver found deaths about the same with or without supportive housing. The county's review calls the model necessary but under-resourced. The evidence shows housing alone has not prevented deaths, not that it causes them.
- Deaths within two years were about the same for people offered supportive housing and for the control group. Urban Institute · Qualifies
- The review calls supportive housing necessary and says it needs funding and staffing that match residents' needs. King County Overdose Fatality Review · Qualifies
- The auditor concluded that housing alone does not sufficiently address overdose risk. Seattle Office of City Auditor
See the evidence: The Seattle City Auditor reported the same rise
“These are all deaths in permanent supportive housing.”
Short answer: No, a broader group
No: the county's group also includes income-restricted apartments and sober recovery homes. So it is broader than housing built for people who were homeless. Counting permanent supportive housing alone, the county's overdose review found about 16 deaths a month from January 2024 to September 2025.
- The Medical Examiner's 'housing service site' category includes permanent supportive housing, income-restricted units and recovery housing. Public Health - Seattle & King County · Qualifies
- An average of 16 overdose deaths a month occurred among people in permanent supportive housing from January 2024 to September 2025. King County Overdose Fatality Review
See the evidence: County death records: the share in this housing doubled
“The 2026 numbers are incomplete, so the pattern may not hold.”
Short answer: It holds anyway
2026 runs through November 5, and 28 more deaths than last year are not yet categorized. Even if all of them belonged to private homes or to people outdoors, those groups would still be down 16% and 10%, while subsidized and supportive housing would stay flat.
See the evidence: County death records: the share in this housing doubled
“Seattle's overdose deaths are falling more slowly than the rest of King County's.”
Short answer: Only this year
In 2026 so far, Seattle's deaths fell 5% while South King County's fell 30%. But Seattle fell faster the year before, and since the 2023 peak both fell by the same 43%.
- From 2025 to 2026 (January 1 to November 5), Seattle's overdose deaths fell 5% and South King County's fell 30%. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
- Since 2023, deaths fell 33% in subsidized and supportive housing, 45% in private homes and 53% outdoors/shelters/vehicles; Seattle and South King County each fell 43%. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
Conclusion
The county's own records settle the claim. Among overdose deaths where investigators knew where the person lived, the share in subsidized and supportive housing rose from 12.5% in 2019 to 25.5% so far in 2026. The Seattle City Auditor, using the same records, reported the same rise from 2020 to 2023.
The 2026 numbers are the newest finding. Overdose deaths fell about a quarter among people in private homes and among people living outdoors, in shelters or in vehicles. Among people in this housing, they held steady. That stays true even if the 28 extra deaths not yet sorted by home all belong to any one other group.
The numbers have limits. They show what share of deaths happened in this housing, not how risky the housing is for each person living there. Permanent supportive housing is meant for people who were homeless longest and are sickest, so many deaths there are expected. More housing explains part of the rise, but federally counted beds grew 27% while deaths there nearly quadrupled. A randomized trial in Denver found deaths about the same with or without supportive housing. So housing does not appear to cause deaths, and it also has not been shown to prevent them.
The county's own overdose review calls supportive housing a necessary model that needs more staff, peer support, and both harm-reduction and recovery-focused options. The Seattle City Auditor wrote that housing alone does not sufficiently address overdose risk. Our confidence is high for the trend in shares. It would be lower for any claim about death rates, because the county publishes no count of residents and its group mixes several kinds of housing.
How we checked
- We defined the claim as the share of King County overdose deaths among people whose presumed living situation was a housing service site: permanent supportive housing, income-restricted units or recovery housing.
- We read the Medical Examiner's public dashboard on November 6, 2026, for January 1 to November 5 of each year from 2019 to 2026, and for full years 2019 to 2025, and computed shares among deaths with a known living situation.
- We tested the result against the Seattle City Auditor's 2024 count, the county's 2025 overdose fatality review, HUD bed counts, and a randomized trial of supportive housing.
- We checked sensitivity to deaths not yet categorized in 2026 and to the higher share of unknown living situations in 2019, and compared changes since 2019, since 2023 and since 2025.
- We recorded each limit beside the evidence it affects; all tables, calculations and the build script are in the linked dataset.
Editorial note: This check covers King County overdose deaths by the Medical Examiner's presumed living situation, 2019 to November 5, 2026. It does not rate any housing provider or program, and it does not estimate death rates per resident. 2026 figures are provisional.
Expert-review status
No external specialist review has been recorded.
Funding and conflicts
Funding: No external funding for this piece.
Ownership: Published by the FactHub Research Team.
Conflicts: None known.
Sources 12
Sources are labeled by kind, with what this fact check takes from each, so readers can check the evidence independently.
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FactHub record
FactHub dataset.
King County overdose deaths by where people lived: change in 2026
Saved analysis comparing January 1 to November 5, 2026 with the same dates in 2025.
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From 2025 to 2026 (January 1 to November 5), deaths in subsidized and supportive housing went from 162 to 163, while private homes fell 23%, outdoors/shelters/vehicles 26%, and all deaths 15%.
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FactHub record
FactHub dataset.
King County overdose deaths by where people lived: sensitivity to uncategorized deaths
Saved analysis assigning 2026's 28 extra uncategorized deaths to each group in turn.
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If all 28 extra uncategorized 2026 deaths were assigned to private homes or to outdoors/shelters, those groups would still be down 16% and 10% from 2025.
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FactHub record
FactHub dataset.
King County overdose deaths by where people lived: 2025 compared with 2019
Saved analysis of full-year counts by living situation.
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Qualifies: Full-year overdose deaths rose 3.8 times in subsidized and supportive housing (50 to 192), 3.3 times outdoors/shelters/vehicles (64 to 208) and 1.8 times in private homes from 2019 to 2025.
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FactHub record
FactHub dataset.
King County overdose deaths by where people lived: deaths compared with HUD beds
Saved analysis comparing deaths in this housing with HUD permanent housing bed counts.
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HUD permanent supportive and other permanent housing beds grew 27% (7,718 to 9,791) from 2019 to 2025, while deaths in this housing grew 3.8 times.
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FactHub record
FactHub dataset.
King County overdose deaths by where people lived: change since 2023
Saved analysis of January 1 to November 5 counts, 2023 versus 2026.
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Qualifies: Since 2023, deaths fell 33% in subsidized and supportive housing, 45% in private homes and 53% outdoors/shelters/vehicles; Seattle and South King County each fell 43%.
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FactHub record
FactHub dataset.
King County overdose deaths by where people lived: change by region in 2026
Saved analysis of 2026 versus 2025 by region, January 1 to November 5.
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Qualifies: From 2025 to 2026 (January 1 to November 5), Seattle's overdose deaths fell 5% and South King County's fell 30%.
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FactHub record
FactHub dataset.
King County overdose deaths by where people lived: 2025 compared with 2019 nationally
Saved analysis comparing 2025 with 2019 for the United States, Washington and King County.
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Qualifies: In 2025, U.S. overdose deaths were 0.99 times 2019's, Washington's 2.37 times and King County's 2.13 times (914 against 429).
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Government
Public Health - Seattle & King County.
Methods Report: Documentation and Analysis of Fatal Overdose Data
The county health department's description of how the overdose dashboard's categories, including presumed living situation, are assigned.
Reliability: Written by the agency that publishes the dashboard; it documents its own category definitions and their limits.
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Qualifies: The Medical Examiner's 'housing service site' category includes permanent supportive housing, income-restricted units and recovery housing.
What the source says
Housing service site: This category includes permanent supportive housing, income-restricted units, recovery housing.
Presumed Living Situation section -
Qualifies: The county warns that some living situations, such as shelters and hotels, may be inconsistently categorized.
What the source says
some housing situations, like staying at a shelter, in a hotel/motel, in an RV, and couch-surfing may be inconsistently categorized
Presumed Living Situation section
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Government
Seattle Office of City Auditor.
Overdose and Crime Concentrations audit (July 9, 2024)
City audit of locations with concentrated overdoses and crime in Seattle, including King County overdose deaths by housing status.
Reliability: The City Auditor is an independent office of the Seattle City Council; its overdose counts come from Medical Examiner records.
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Overdose deaths among people in supportive, subsidized or recovery housing rose from 73 (14% of all) in 2020 to 279 (21%) in 2023.
What the source says
for people who are recently homeless and living in permanent supportive housing, subsidized housing, or recovery housing, fatal overdoses increased from 73 deaths (14 percent of the total) in 2020 to 279 deaths (21 percent of the total) in 2023.
Overdose findings, p. 6 -
The auditor concluded that housing alone does not sufficiently address overdose risk.
What the source says
Although housing is essential for addressing homelessness, new research suggests that housing alone does not sufficiently address overdose risk.
Overdose findings, p. 6 -
Qualifies: Overdose deaths among people unsheltered or in emergency shelters rose faster, from 59 in 2020 to 316 in 2023.
What the source says
fatal overdoses have increased from 59 deaths (12 percent of the total) in 2020 to 316 deaths (24 percent of the total) in 2023.
Overdose findings, p. 6 -
Qualifies: Supportive housing residents are older and high-risk: 95% of one operator's residents were 50 or older.
What the source says
among residents of Plymouth Housing's permanent supportive housing (n=146), 95 percent were aged 50 and up
Footnote 4
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Government
King County Overdose Fatality Review.
King County Overdose Fatality Review 2025 Report
Annual report of the county's multi-agency review of overdose deaths, with a section on permanent supportive housing.
Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Run by Public Health - Seattle & King County with partner agencies; the county funds much of the supportive housing it reviews.
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An average of 16 overdose deaths a month occurred among people in permanent supportive housing from January 2024 to September 2025.
What the source says
From January 2024 through September 2025, an average of 16 fatal overdoses occurred each month among individuals living in permanent supportive housing (PSH) in King County.
Fatal Overdoses in Permanent Supportive Housing, p. 17 -
Qualifies: The review calls supportive housing necessary and says it needs funding and staffing that match residents' needs.
What the source says
Permanent supportive housing remains a necessary model for the community.
Recommendations, p. 18
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Academic
Urban Institute.
Improving Health Care through Housing First: Denver Supportive Housing Social Impact Bond Initiative
Evaluation of a randomized trial offering supportive housing to frequent jail users in Denver.
Reliability: Independent evaluation by the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan research group; the program was funded by social impact bond investors and the city.
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Qualifies: Deaths within two years were about the same for people offered supportive housing and for the control group.
What the source says
Mortality was about the same in both the treatment and control groups (table 5).
Mortality section and Table 5, p. 13
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FactHub dataset
King County overdose deaths by where people lived, 2019-2026
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Tables: ytd-by-living-situation
Saved analysis housing-share-ytd
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Tables: annual-by-living-situation, hic-beds
Saved analysis deaths-per-bed
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- FactHub chart king-county-od-deaths-housing-share
- FactHub chart king-county-od-deaths-change-2026
Update history 3 changes, last
- First version.
- Version 2: rewrote the title, lead, context, key points and several answers in plainer words for readers new to the topic; explained that the numbers are shares of deaths, not death rates; clarified that the county's housing group also includes income-restricted apartments and sober recovery homes, not only supportive housing for people who were homeless; replaced the lead's phrase 'much of it built to get people off the street', which did not fit income-restricted housing; defined fentanyl. No numbers, sources or rating changed.
- Version 3: the lead now states the finding first and defines an overdose death as one caused by taking too much of a drug. No numbers, sources or rating changed.
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