A group of more than 200 people stood in silence at Pioneer Park on Thursday night, some of them wiping away tears as the names of 94 people who died while experiencing homelessness or who were previously homeless rang out into the night.
Pamela Atkinson, a community advocate for the homeless, had just read off the statistics: The oldest person who died was 85, while the youngest was just 20 years old. Twenty of the deceased were women; 17 were veterans. And 43% had a place to call home when they died, whether in hospice, permanent supportive housing or rapid rehousing facilities.