For more information, contact:
Doreen Fadus (413) 748-9064
Rev. Greg Dyson (413) 782-2577
Gerry McCafferty  (413) 787-6500

On Friday, December 21, 2007, 4 p.m., at Springfield’s Court Square, there will be a candlelight vigil remembering local homeless people who have died during the past year.  The Homeless Persons’ Memorial Service will be an opportunity for health and service providers, people experiencing homelessness, volunteers, advocates, members of the faith community, and government officials to honor the 38 people who lived on the streets and in the shelters of the Pioneer Valley and who died in 2007 from various diseases, injuries, and suicide.

The service is organized by Doreen Fadus, Executive Director of Health Care for the Homeless, and the Rev. Greg Dyson, on behalf of the Homes Within Reach Committee.  “At this time of year, it is easy to focus only on the needs of ourselves and not on others,” said Rev. Dyson.  “This event gives us an opportunity to express love and concern for some of the less fortunate in our community.”

Homelessness dramatically elevates one’s risk of illness, injury and death.  For every age group, homeless persons are three times more likely to die than the general population.  Among local homeless people who died this past year, the average age of death was 48. 

“Most of these people are dying of treatable diseases these deaths are preventable,” said Fadus.  “As a nation, we must commit to accessible health care and we must recognize the importance of housing as part of the treatment for many chronic health problems.”

Springfield’s Homes Within Reach plan embraces the Housing First concept.  Homes Within Reach Committee members point to the need to broaden support for this approach, and the need for increased federal and state funding to carry it out. 

The local vigil is part of the National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, which has been cosponsored by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council and the National Coalition for the Homeless for the past 16 years.  The event is held each year on December 21—the first day of winter and the longest night of the year—to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and highlight the importance of strategies to end homelessness.  Last year, more than 100 cities sponsored memorial events.