The annual event, set for Dec. 21, offers an opportunity to remember our friends and neighbors who passed in 2023
A Homeless Persons Memorial Day ceremony will be held Thursday (Dec. 21), at 5:45 p.m. on the front steps of St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1309 Franklin St., Vancouver.
Refreshments will follow inside the church. The ceremony will include honoring each person who died by reading their names. There will be speakers and an opportunity for fellowship. Names will also be displayed on a poster, where people can write messages or add names of people they know who were impacted by homelessness and died in 2023. Approximately 43 names are on the list this year.
The most impactful way to honor the lives of people who died this year is to work for the day when everyone in Clark County has a safe and stable place to call home. The event will include a call to action for the public, elected officials, faith communities, businesses, social service agencies, philanthropists, and all sectors of our community to make collective progress toward ending homelessness.
“People without homes – especially those who live on the streets – are often invisible,” shared Adam Kravitz of Outsiders Inn. “When they die, they can be easily forgotten. We want people to know their life mattered, and we want people who care about them to be supported.”
“Housing is a human need. Homelessness can impact a person for a lifetime, even after they have a home,” shares Laura Ellsworth of Council for the Homeless. “This night is an opportunity to reflect on our neighbors without homes and people who served them, all who died in 2023, and honor their memory. These people were siblings, parents, and children. They were artists, musicians, construction workers, teachers, sports fans, and more. Most importantly, they were members of our community. ”
Also read:
- CCSO makes arrest in attempted kidnapping investigation
A 31-year-old Vancouver man has been arrested in connection with an attempted kidnapping involving a teenage girl near NE 149th Street. - Changing roles: Brian Witherspoon accepts position as head coach of Camas girls basketballBrian Witherspoon has been hired to lead the Camas girls basketball program after serving as interim boys coach last season.
- Vehicle crashes into Vancouver Fire Station 6 during emergency responseA vehicle crashed into Vancouver Fire Station 6 late Tuesday night while crews were out on an emergency call.
- Letter: ‘It’s said sarcasm is the lowest form of wit’Amboy resident Thomas Schenk criticizes Olympia’s use of “emergency clauses” and other legislative tactics that limit public participation.
- Letter: ‘We’re going to give them some money and a plane ticket, and then we’re going to work with them’Camas resident Anna Miller supports a new structured self-deportation policy, calling it a balanced approach to immigration and economic needs.
- Pro-Palestinian protesters occupy UW building, 30 arrested
About 30 protesters were arrested at the University of Washington after occupying a building and demanding the school cut ties with Boeing. - Sen. Braun praises UW officials for response to Monday protests, calls for prosecutionsSen. John Braun praised UW officials for their firm response to violent protests tied to the university’s relationship with Boeing.
Are you serious? Oh, cry me a river.
Why is there a special occasion to remember the homeless when there is no such event to remember those who were NOT homeless and who were just as important?
This is soooo wrong, in soooo many ways.
But, hey, in Vancouver, homelessness is BIG BUSINESS with LOTS OF MONEY involved. So I’m not surprised that all the do-gooders, who have their hands in the money-pot, want to do something for some free publicity and for furthering the imagined-need for even more money for their cause.