The annual event, set for Dec. 21, offers an opportunity to remember our neighbors who passed in 2022
Members of the faith community, homeless service providers, advocates, people experiencing homelessness and community members will gather together on the longest night of the year to remember, show support for and honor those who have died while or after experiencing homelessness, and those who have served people who are experiencing homelessness, in 2022. The event – Homeless Persons Memorial Day – is open to the public and is hosted by Council for the Homeless, Outsiders Inn and St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Homeless Persons Memorial Day will be held Wednesday (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 2022. Approximately 35 names are on the list this year.
“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 impacts a person for a lifetime,” 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 2022, 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.”
Additional event planning partners are Immanuel Lutheran Church, Dave Slocum, Judy Enders, Jamie Spinelli and St. Andrew Lutheran Church.
Council for the Homeless is a nonprofit organization that provides community leadership, compelling advocacy and practical solutions to prevent and end homelessness in Clark County.
Also read:
- Vancouver Fire responds to difficult-to-access timber fire along Columbia River
16 firefighters — including marine units — battled a lumber pile fire on a remote Columbia River peninsula. - Opinion: Don’t blame AI – Why electricity rates are rising in Washington
State climate mandates, not AI or data centers, are the primary force pushing Washington utility bills higher. - Opinion: The Declaration of Independence – Its debt to history and meaning
Rob Natelson traces the Declaration’s roots to English petitions, the 1689 Bill of Rights, and natural law philosophy. - Opinion: More employers mean more opportunities for workers
A Washington Policy Center analyst argues that fewer employers directly means fewer choices and less power for workers. - Postal Service skips hearing with WA lawmakers on mail-in ballot rules
USPS canceled a scheduled hearing with WA lawmakers on a rule that would require states to share mail-in voter lists. - Vancouver leaders want C-TRAN to look into fixed rail infrastructure throughout the city
Councilor Erik Paulsen says existing Vine stops already have the floor height to support tram conversion. - Sale of fireworks begins June 28
Fireworks are banned inside Vancouver city limits but allowed in unincorporated Clark County only on July 4.
