Keith Keene sleeps close to the park where the Homeless People’s Memorial Day ceremony took place this Wednesday. He says he has lost numerous friends who, in homelessness, were vulnerable to chronic illness and violence.
Although he was the only person without a home at the memorial, he said he needed to let others know that this community exists in Manchester.
“It’s always rough, and it has become too normal,” he said.
Keene and around 40 others carried candles and listened one by one to the names of the 31 people without homes who died in 2022 in Manchester. Several cities around the U.S. also held vigils.
According to the New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness annual report, the COVID-19 pandemic increased the unsheltered population in the state. According to the report, Manchester recorded 1,714 homeless individuals in 2021.
The New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness organized the event. Lauren Collins-Cline, who assists homeless people at Catholic Medical Center, says the reasons for those deaths vary from accidents to health conditions.
“They mattered when they were here, and they matter still,” she said.
Brandon Lemay, an advocate for housing justice in the state, said he lost a beloved friend after she was depressed and committed suicide.
“She told me: 'I don’t want to die in a shelter. Help me,'” said Lemay. Her name was Patricia, and he hoped everyone remembered her for being kind.
Lemay thinks there is still a lot to do about homelessness in the city, including building more affordable housing. He says he has seen more people asking for help during the past two years because they have recently lost their homes.
Mayor Joyce Craig proclaimed Dec. 21 as a memorial day for the people who lost their lives in homelessness. Homeless Persons’ Memorials are held annually on this date, the longest night of the year.
“Every community member deserves the dignity of having safe, affordable housing,” she said.
In late November, Manchester hired a new director of homelessness initiatives, Adrienne Beloin, to supervise shelters and encampments and provide better services to this population.
Some attendees asked people to remember that many others will be outside in the cold waiting for a bed tonight.
