Relatives and friends of people who died because of homelessness paid their respects in the wind and rain at the Resource Commons Center in Grass Valley Friday evening.
As part of the National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day’s Longest Night commemoration, names were solemnly read as participants lit electric votive candles in white paper bags (luminarias) to remember the people they lost.
Rev. Kevin Tarsa of the Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains offered a moving prayer promising that those who passed will not be forgotten.
Nevada County officials attended the ceremony, including County Executive Officer Alison Lehman, Health and Human Services Agency Director Ryan Gruver, Behavioral Health Director Phebe Bell and Housing Resources Program Manager Brendan Phillips.
It was an opportunity for the county leaders to hear stories directly from the homeless and formerly homeless people who gathered for the ceremony.
Several people spoke with deep grief and passion about the terrible circumstances that led to the deaths of their loved ones. They called for better treatment and opportunities for unhoused people.
Tom Durkin is the executive director of the No Place To Go Project, an arts-based nonprofit dedicated to social justice for at-risk and homeless people. For more information, visit www.noplacetogoproject.org.