WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) - Deaths among homeless people are up this year in Sedgwick County. More than 60 people died, compared to more than 40 last year. The difference in numbers could be chalked up to a push on the county level to gather more data. This year marks the first year Sedgwick County is formally tracking deaths in the homeless population through its Regional Forensic Science Center. The County says there's recently been an increased push from residents for information and solutions when it comes to homelessness. Leaders say information on how many unhoused people die and why is needed to help guide decisions on the county level. As part of Advocates to End Chronic Homelessness in Wichita, Kathy Bowles organizes a memorial for unhoused people who die in the Sedgwick County area each year. "Our numbers for the last few years have been in the 40 range; I know last year was, I want to say, around 42, 43," Bowles said. This year, Sedgwick County numbers show more than 60 people passed. "Part of the reason our numbers went up is because we had more organizations letting us know people passed," Bowles said. Volunteers needed for Sedgwick County’s point-in-time homeless count "They have names, they have stories, and for me, just classifying them as unknown just wasn't sufficient," said Sedgwick County Commission Chair Ryan Baty. Baty says addressing housing issues in Wichita starts with data. "If we're gonna measure outcomes impacting the homeless population ... one of the data points we really wanted to make sure to track was those that had passed away," Baty said. After a push from local leaders for the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center to start tracking homeless deaths, this year marks the first time formal tracking has taken place. "The public crisis that we're seeing on our streets, particularly in downtown, midtown, riverside, people are now more aware," Baty said. Having a formal count is already making a difference, according to Baty. "Making sure that we have reporting to give us real-time data so we know if the interventions that we're doing, if they're actually working and if the resources are actually being deployed where they need to be," Baty said. According to Baty, the county is tracking when people fall in and out of homelessness. He said he wants to add more data and continue to improve the county's tracking of deaths in the future.