The homeless man found dead in a city centre on Wednesday has been named
A homeless person sleeping rough in a doorway.(Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
The homeless man found dead in Belfast city centre earlier this week has been named as Norman McKeown. He was found dead in the Custom House Square area of the city on Wednesday.
Mr McKeown was named as official estimates for the number of homeless deaths in Northern Ireland were provided for the first time.
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) that revealed that 58 people are believed to have died on the streets in 2024, with the same number dying in 2023.
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NISRA has stated that the figures were derived based on the location and current residence of a person who died, rather than the statutory definition provided by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. It excludes those who are permanent tenants or homeowners, even if they may be classed as homeless by the NIHE.
The council area with the highest number of homeless deaths was Belfast, with 20 in 2024, with Derry City and Strabane having the highest death rate at 11.4 per 100,000 people, compared to a national average of 4.11 per 100,000.
In 2024, 74.1% of homeless deaths were male, and 25.9% were female. Just under half, 46.6%, of estimated homeless deaths were under the age of 45. In contrast, 11.0% of all registered deaths for persons aged 15-74 were under the age of 45.
A NISRA spokesperson said: “When looking at selected specific causes of deaths of people experiencing homelessness, drug-related causes were the most common, accounting for an estimated 27.6% of all homeless deaths in 2024 and 25.9% in 2023. For context, drug-related deaths accounted for 3% of all deaths in Northern Ireland in 2023, the most recent year for which this data has been published.
“These new estimates have been derived using a specific methodology and a definition of homelessness which seeks to identify individuals based on the circumstances at the time of their death rather than whether they were statutorily homeless or not.
“The identification of homeless people for the purpose of these statistics is not based on an existing definition of homelessness but is based on the ability to identify such individuals within the death registration records. The records identified are mainly those people using emergency accommodation such as homeless shelters, hostels, and temporary homeless accommodation at the time of their death. The estimates will include those who are sleeping rough, if this is explicitly stated in the death registration records.”
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