Homeless memorial

In the last couple of weeks of the semester I wrote a couple of papers on people experiencing homelessness. One thing I learned is that my stereotype of the typical homeless person (alcoholic and/or mentally ill male) doesn't hold true. In fact in Minnesota, the largest group is children (34%). The economic difficulties have resulted in more families experiencing homelessness.

Last Thursday I participated in a homeless memorial march and service in Minneapolis. For the past 28 years, people have gathered to remember the homeless or formerly homeless who died during the  year. At the invitation of a friend I joined in this simple event. We walked 28 blocks from downtown Minneapolis to a church that also serves as a homeless shelter. Each of us had a sign with the first name, age and hometown of one of those who had died. It was a cold night and by the time we were done I was even more thankful than usual that I have always had shelter. Once we were at the church there was a simple service where the 137 names of those who had died in the past year were read and a candle was lit for each one. The one that struck a deep chord was Rose, age 42 days from Duluth. Afterwards, there was an open mic for people to tell some brief memories of those they knew. These stories made it clear that each person has a unique personality and story. They may have spent much of their lives struggling with addictions, mental illness and the effects of abuse and trauma in ways that are not socially acceptable, but they are people, made in God's image and should be remembered.