A vigil to mark National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day is scheduled for noon on Friday, Dec. 21 at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.
The solemn service, celebrated with lit candles, songs, stories and the reading of the names of people who died in homelessness is held annually near or on the winter solstice which marks the first day of winter and the longest night of the year. The local event is coordinated with services in more than 150 other cities across the country. The memorials have been held every year since 1990.
Among those who will be remembered in this year’s service are three Street Sense vendors, Tyrone Murray, Tommy Bennett and Leroy Sturdevant as well as Jesse Smith, Jr. a former Street Sense vendor manager, poet, speaker and homeless advocate.
Others who will be memorialized include Peter Bis, Zachary Brown, Clark Carvaly, Misty Clanton, Renee Farmer, Alfonza Flythe, Betty Jones, Billy Ragan, Terrence Bowie Robinson, and a man identified only as Lorenzo T.
Patricia “Pat” Handy, who served as homeless coordinator for the District Department of Human Services and who died on Nov 20 will also be remembered.
National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day activities are co-sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), National Consumer Advisory Board (NCAB), and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC.) They are intended to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and to remember homeless friends.
To compile the annual list of homeless people who died in the District, the National Coalition for the Homeless relies upon newspaper clippings, reports from the medical examiner’s office and names provided by clinics and agencies.
The coalition’s executive director Neil Donovan has described it as an unscientific process. But he explains that homeless advocates do all they can to make sure the deaths of homeless people don’t go unnoticed.
New York Avenue Presbyterian Church is located at 1313 New York Ave, NW. A free meal will follow the service and will be offered at 1 p.m.
