Nationwide, 20 homeless people die every day. In Whatcom County, the number is up to two people per week, and the trends don't look good. Outreach worker Cheri Johnson checks in on homeless folks getting a meal at Bellingham's Faith Lutheran Church. They're people she calls friends — and said she is increasingly worried about them. "It's almost in the back of the mind, death is happening a lot. When you see it first hand it hits home. It's devastating. It's a loss of a human life," Johnson said. Increasingly, living on the streets in Whatcom County means dying on the streets. In 2020, 39 unhoused people passed. That number grew to 46 people in 2021, then 57 people the following year. Last year, the county had 84 people who are homeless die. Through the first six months of this year, 56 homeless people have already died. That's on pace for 112 deaths, which would be yet another record — nearly triple the number in 2020. READ MORE: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/homeless/whatcom-county-washington-fears-record-year-deaths-homeless-people/281-4a291eef-851c-4375-8164-58df60ae29f5