Fatal drug overdoses have declined in Philadelphia and nationwide, but a new report shows many city residents believe the opioid addiction crisis is getting worse.
Drug overdose deaths in Philadelphia dropped from 1,413 in 2022 to 1,100 in 2024, according to provisional data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is projecting a nearly 24% drop in fatal drug overdoses for the 12 months ending in September 2024, compared to the previous year. The final data is not yet available.
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But nearly 4 in 10 Philadelphia residents feel the opioid crisis is getting worse, and that belief is especially prevalent among people who live in Kensington, Fishtown, Bridesburg and Port Richmond, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts brief published Tuesday.
About 1 in 3 residents said they saw no change in the opioid crisis, and only 8% said the situation was improving.
The poll, conducted between Jan. 10 and March 2, included nearly 2,300 city residents and focused on a variety of issues. Pew published its overall findings about poverty, crime, housing, education and health in April. Tuesday's report focused on residents' views on opioid-related issues, revealing the addiction crisis remains a major concern.
According to the report, one-third of residents know someone who has died from a drug overdose. Nearly 45% know someone with opioid use disorder, up from just over 30% in 2019.
Almost half of Philadelphia residents said the opioid crisis negatively affects their quality of life more than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 20% described the opioid problem as having a "major" impact on their daily lives, with less than one-third saying it did not affect their lives.
Additionally, how people view opioid use disorder has shifted. More than 50% of residents said OUD is a chronic health condition similar to diabetes or heart disease, as opposed to something people bring on themselves. This is up from 39% in 2019. More than 70% of Philadelphians said they prioritize providing treatment and health services to people who use drugs rather than arresting them.
To address the addiction crisis, Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration has opened the Riverview Wellness Village, a $100 million network of housing in Holmesberg for people coming out of short-term addiction treatment. It opened in January with 336 beds, and it offers some behavioral health and medical treatment on site. Parker's 2026 budget, approved last week by council, included $65 million to add a building at the Riverview complex.
The budget also included $2.7 million to expand a wellness court in Kensington – the site of a vast open-air drug market – in an attempt to divert people arrested for low-level drug crimes in the neighborhood into treatment.