Every year, in a small rectangle of north Richmond, an average of more than 20 people die from heroin overdoses, community health providers say.

An inquest into the death of a 33-year-old woman known as Ms A to be held next Wednesday will try to find a way to stop them.

More than 20 per cent of all people who die from a heroin overdose in Victoria either die in, or source the drug from, north Richmond. Credit:Jason South

Coroner Jacqui Hawkins has called for evidence from four groups, including the Department of Health and Human Services, as she searches for possible solutions to a troubling increase in heroin-related deaths.

The inquest is likely to fire debate about safe injecting rooms, either static or mobile, which advocates say have saved thousands of lives in other areas, such as Sydney's Kings Cross.