Today, December 21 is National Homeless Person's Memorial Day

[dajoki]

Today is the 19th Annual National Homeless Person's Memorial Day, and at least 119 communities in 39 states and Washington, DC will be hosting events from candlelit and silent marches to graveyard vigils and special religious services. More than 3200 people died homeless in 2008 and the numbers are being tallied for 2009.

It's an appropriate day to reflect upon the dichotemy of a struggling economy within a very prosperous nation. To think about the next possible round of layoffs and ways to cut corners, while still remembering that you have a warm bed, plenty of food and a trusty roof overhead.

To quote the National Coalition for the Homeless web site: Homeless people die from illnesses that affect everyone, frequently without healthcare. Homeless people die from exposure, unprotected from the heat and cold. Homeless people die from violence, often in unprovoked hate crimes. Healthcare is a human right. Housing is a human right. Physical safety is a human right.

[midnight]

1. Fill the empty homes up with the homeless. Give them jobs. Bail them out.

They are people too.

[Forkboy]

2. Thank you.

K&R

[leftstreet]

3. K&R

[Hannah Bell]

4. I knew two of them. k/r

[EFerrari]

5. Thanks. K&R

[Ocracoker16]

6. Thank you for posting

This is a very important day. Many of us at DU won't get to participate in one of those events today, but we can still think about the homeless who have died in the past year. It is important that we remember that we will be observing this day next year and every year after. Some of these deaths could be prevented, but there is limited funding for it in our local government budgets. In this time of financial crisis, many governments have to cut certain programs to balance their budget. It is easy for them to take away coverage for homeless services. They don't have to worry about any outrage from the homeless, because homeless people aren't paying close attention to this, because their goal is surviving another night.

I live in Washington DC and our mayor cut some of the hypothermia services, but assured homeless advocacy groups that he hadn't cut all funds. On Friday, one of the local homeless services providers emailed me urgently seeking blankets. They have always received shipments of blankets in October from the city. However, the city hadn't shipped them and they had no blankets with a blizzard coming the next day. This agency was also very concerned that there wouldn't be enough shelter space for their clients since the city reduced the number of beds in hypothermia
shelters. I am sure people died this weekend and the city could have kept that from happening, but hey they don't care.

[G_j]

7. K&R

thanks for the reminder!