Remembering, Honoring, and Uniting for Change
Many people in communities across the country work each and everyday to support people who are identified as homeless or at risk of homelessness. The work, for the most part is heartfelt, often perceived as never-ending due to among other things, the overwhelming need for safe, secure, low-cost affordable housing. However, another related reality exists. That is, the hundreds of people who die every year, named and unnamed without a place to call home. People experience homelessness in different ways and due to various reasons. The most vulnerable are those we see. It is key to note that the majority of people experiencing homelessness we will never see as “homeless” as defined as those surviving on the streets. When we expand the narrative about who is homeless and why, we must acknowledge that too many people lose housing because they simply cannot afford to pay the rent. We also must acknowledge that the lack of representation in eviction defense leads too many to enter homelessness. What remains a fact is that people in communities across the United States without housing and identified as homeless, will die.
According to Homeless Deaths Count, a community effort collecting comprehensive data on mortality among people experiencing homelessness across the United States, approximately 20 people die every day without housing. People die in tents, shelters, in cars, and on the streets. Homeless Deaths Count seeks to reach two goals. First, to bring attention to the problem by keeping count of the number of people experiencing homelessness who die in the United States each year. They indicate that no single U.S. government agency records how or when people experiencing homelessness die. They want to collaborate with communities and organizations across the country to rectify the problem of not having accurate information. Second, they want to remember the lives of persons who are often overlooked by society, recognizing that the people we have lost are parents, children, siblings, and community members from all walks of life.
As we enter the winter and holiday season, and near the end of 2022, this year will be no different from last year, or the year before, and too many prior years. Again, we are called to remember, honor, and unite in community for a sacred time of reflection on Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, December 21; the first day of winter and the longest night of the year. We believe that housing is a human right. We believe that we can end homelessness. We believe that we can end the tragic lost of life due to a lack of housing. .
This year the national observation will be virtual and is framed in partnership by the National Coalition For The Homeless, National Health Care For The Homeless Council, National Consumer Advisory Board, and the National Alliance To End Homelessness. This marks the 32nd year bringing deeper awareness, knowledge, understanding, and advocacy to housing, homelessness, and the emerging issues connected to both in the United States. Among people experiencing homelessness, too many continue to die on our streets, in encampments, in the woods, and other uninhabitable places and spaces. We must be able to see an end to this. We cannot continue to accept what is unacceptable.
As we prepare to remember and honor the people that we have lost around the country nationally and in our local communities, let us push forward in our advocacy to envision the day where we will not have to remember any human beings because they have died without a place to call home. To learn more about what you can do in your community to observe Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day and to view the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day Organizing Manual, or to register your community’s event visit www.nationalhomeless.org. To learn more about Homeless Deaths Count and their work visit https://homelessdeathscount.org/ or email them at homelessdeathscounts@gmail.com. Let’s remember, honor, and then do what needs to be done to bring about change.