Number of homeless deaths continues to rise

[ccharles000]

The temperature dropped into the teens the night Kelvin Black sat down in Salt Lake City and never got up again. At 39, the homeless man had slept outside for much of his life, but things were finally looking up. Since spring, he'd had his own room at an apartment complex for the formerly homeless, Palmer Court -- though it took him a while to unfold the clean sheets and stop sleeping on the floor.

He should have been one of the success stories. Instead, Black died on the sidewalk about a block and a half from his new home on Dec. 4. Black, who suffered from alcoholism, didn't follow his friends when they encouraged him to go back to Palmer Court on that bitterly cold night. He was among the 58 people -- a new record -- who died this year after struggling with homelessness.

"Here's a kid, he's from a broken family raised out in the street," said Ed Snoddy, who knew Black from his years of work at the Volunteers of America in Utah. "He was probably the first one in his family to have permanent housing."

Community members remembered Black and others at a candlelight vigil at Pioneer Park on Monday night, the fifth year homeless advocates have marked the tragic tally. This year's total was up slightly -- by four people -- over the 2008 number. The data include those who may have recently moved into places such as Palmer Court, but spent decades on the streets.

The punishing years outside, when individuals often battle a fatal combination

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14045659

[Skittles]

1. throwaway people

:cry:

[Kitty Herder]

2. Absolutely heartbreaking.

:cry: