When someone experiences homelessness, their life span is roughly cut in half, according to an expert witness who spoke during Day 1 of the inquest into Attila Csanyi’s death.
Csanyi, 28, was found on the rooftop of Jackson Square in 2020 after dying of an overdose. He had been evicted from his residential care facility on Bay Street South in Hamilton nearly two months before, according to the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic.
The inquest started Tuesday, almost four years after Csanyi’s death.
Jennifer Scott, presiding officer of the inquest, told jurors the next few weeks won’t be about placing blame, but rather, “finding the truth.”
“What went wrong and how do we fix it?” she said to the jury.
The inquest is expected to last two to three weeks. It will feature a five-member jury who will hear from Csanyi’s family, experts and witnesses including from the city and health-care providers, and may make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths.
Twin brothers ‘nearly inseparable’
Jai Dhar, the inquest counsel, summarized some of the evidence jurors can expect to hear.
He said on May 2, 2020, someone found two men unconscious lying on the Jackson Square rooftop.
One of the men woke up and ran away when the bystander said they were calling 911.
The other man, Csanyi, remained motionless with no pulse.
First responders tried reviving him and later pronounced him dead at the scene.
A forensic pathologist said Csanyi died after overdosing on a combination of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Dhar said police spent the next month trying to confirm Csanyi’s identity but officers struggled to find anyone who knew him.
At the same time, Csanyi’s twin brother, Richard, was looking for him after losing contact.
In early June, police confirmed Csanyi was the man they found on the rooftop.
Csanyi’s death spurred a documentary by filmmaker Stephen Hosier, who follows Richard as he investigates the life and death of his brother.
“Richard and Attila had been nearly inseparable for most of their very difficult lives,” Dhar said.
Richard and Csanyi spent the first few years of their lives growing up in a busy and chaotic household before entering foster care at six years old, Dhar said.
The twins spent two “horrific” years in care, where they suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse, Dhar said.
“Life seemed hopeless but they got through it together,” Dhar said.
Then a foster family adopted them and the brothers grew up in Lindsay, Ont.
“Life was better there and Attila became a promising young man,” Dhar said, adding that Csanyi excelled at sports.
“But again, for Attila, things just didn’t last.”
Csanyi came to Hamilton 2 years before death
In his late teenage years and early 20s, Csanyi began experiencing his first symptoms of what would later be described as schizophrenia.
He struggled to maintain housing and work for years, but Richard was dedicated to helping him through it, Dhar said.
In May 2018, Csanyi ended up in Hamilton and was admitted to a psychiatric unit at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
Dhar noted from this point onward is where the jury will be focusing on for the inquest, adding that Csanyi’s upbringing is valuable context.
Dhar said Csanyi was in the hospital for several months before being discharged.
He could live in the community so long as he continued seeing a psychiatrist and taking medication.
Dhar said Csanyi was a recipient of Ontario’s Disability Support Plan (ODSP) and lived in a residential care facility.
Dhar said things seemed promising, but staff eventually complained about Csanyi’s “disruptive behaviour.”
He ended up at Sampaguita Lodging and Rest Home, where the same complaints emerged and he was evicted on March 11, 2020. Soon after, the province declared a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Csanyi stayed with his father for a few weeks and in an emergency shelter before likely ending up on the streets, losing contact with his twin brother and dying two months later.
Expert witness describes impacts of being unhoused
Dr. Naheed Dosani was the first expert witness of the inquiry on Tuesday.
The Toronto-based palliative care doctor leads Palliative Education And Care for the Homeless, a mobile palliative care program for people who experience homelessness. He’s also the medical director and health equity lead at Kensington Hospice and Kensington Health respectively.
He described different kinds of homelessness, the factors that lead to someone becoming unhoused, the “devastating” impacts being unhoused has on a person and solutions to address homelessness.
Dosani also said people who experience homelessness live shorter lives, and have about half the life expectancy of people who have housing.
He added substance use is five to 10 times more common among unhoused people.
Dosani also highlighted how the pandemic hit unhoused people especially hard, by being more likely to contract the virus and facing more barriers to access services.
Answering questions from Jen Danch, a lawyer for Csanyi’s family, Dosani said access to emergency shelters can be “the difference between life and death” and also said safe injection sites save lives.
Dosani emphasized the importance of getting people housing and ensuring support is in place to help manage the factors that lead people to homelessness. He said housing people is also more affordable than keeping people in hospitals.
The inquiry is expected to run for two to three weeks and continues Wednesday, with Csanyi’s father, Alex Geczi, and twin brother Richard speaking to the jury.