Outside of the St. Paul Lutheran Church in downtown Vancouver on the longest night of the year, David Slocum stood under a pop-up tent and read the names of 42 people who had experienced extended periods of homelessness in the county and who died in 2025. The names of two longtime homeless advocates who died this year were also read.

Standing next to him, Jeff Bellamy, another member of the church, rang a hand chime after each name was read. A crowd of about 125 people gathered in the drizzling rain, holding candles in small plastic cups.

The annual homeless persons memorial happens each year on the winter solstice to honor those who died while living outside, many on cold winter days.

“Part of the intent of this gathering tonight is for us to experience that cold,” Clark County Councilor Glen Yung told the crowd.

Similar memorials happen in communities across the U.S., and a national memorial is led in partnership by the National Coalition for the Homeless, National Health Care for the Homeless Council and National Consumer Advisory Board. Clark County’s first homeless persons memorial was held in 2007.

Scott Christiansen said he knew around half of those whose names were on the list through his job as an outreach worker at Lifeline Connections, an organization that provides substance use and mental health treatment.

“These people are pretty much invisible while they’re alive,” he said.

In recent years, according to Christiansen, it has become harder to connect with homeless people with substance use disorder when they’re ready to get help.

“It’s harder to do the job now,” he said. Before the city cleared out established camps, service workers knew where to find familiar faces.

“Like the Burnt Bridge camp, you would know where to find James Booker,” Christiansen said, referring to a man whose name was read during the memorial. That encampment was closed in July. “Now, people are pretty much forced to move at all times.”

Unhoused people have a 60% higher risk of mortality compared to others who are living in poverty but are housed, according to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. For people younger than 45, the leading cause of death is drug overdose. The second leading cause is traumatic injuries like traffic accidents or homicides.

The city of Vancouver is in the process of building a 120-bed congregate shelter in the Van Mall neighborhood. It’s expected to open in fall 2026.

After the memorial on Sunday, St. Paul Lutheran Church Pastor Linda Marousek stood in the rain next to an enlarged list of the names that has just been memorialized. She looked at the name Geri Hiller. Hiller helped found the church’s homeless shelter, which now operates year-round in partnership with the non-profit Outsiders Inn. She died in 2025 at age 89.

“The Vancouver statistics, Clark County statistics are 53 last year and 44 this year,” Marousek said. “Everybody wants to say, ‘Yay, yay, we’re beating it.’ No, we’re not.”

She said she was worried about the ongoing impact of cuts to social safety net programs, like food benefits and housing support.

“I’m not going to bet, but I think next year there’ll be more,” she said.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/22/vancouver-homeless-persons-memorial-honors/