For 14th year, vigil remembers those who died while homeless in Stanislaus County
For the 14th year, a candlelight vigil was held in Modesto to remember those people who died during the past year while experiencing homelessness in Stanislaus County.
About 100 people gathered at the pavilion in Graceada Park on Saturday evening for the “Not Forgotten” Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. The hour included prayer, song, remarks and a slide show of the names of the 49 people who passed away. A candle was placed as each person’s name was read and projected on a screen.
The memorial ceremonies included a multi-faith panel of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim and American Indian representatives.
The vigil is a way to “open up a spiritual time” in which loved ones and the community can share that those who died mattered, that they were not invisible and that they will not be forgotten, said one of the organizers, Kimberlee Hamilton Anderson, who is a behavior health advocate for Stanislaus County.
One thing that made this year’s event extra meaningful is that organizers really reached out to the homeless to help with its planning, she said. Instead of meeting during work hours as they’ve usually done, the members of the planning committee gathered on Saturdays at the Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter. “It took a while, but people out there fully engaged and took part in planning and organizing,” Anderson said.
Getting an accurate count of who among the county’s homeless population has died during a year is very difficult, she said. The 49 people who’d been identified by the day of the vigil included perhaps a half dozen who died in recent years but had not been recognized. And in one case, a woman had been honored at a past vigil, but her son was incarcerated at the time, Anderson said. He asked if her name could be read again now that he’s free.
In all, Anderson said, 52 people were memorialized Saturday, because three more names were provided after the 49-name slide show was finalized.
Most attendees Saturday were from the homeless community, both sheltered and unsheltered, she said. Shelters waived their requirement of having all guests in by a certain time, she said, and vigil organizers provided shuttles to and from the park.
The National Coalition for the Homeless has been sponsoring the National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day since 1990. It always is held on Dec. 21, which is the first day of winter and the longest night of the year.
The local events’ sponsors are Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, The Salvation Army and Turning Point Community Programs.
This story was originally published December 22, 2019 at 12:01 PM.
