OKC to remember those who died experiencing homelessness: 'They were members of our community'
Instead of a local church, the yearly Homeless Persons Memorial in Oklahoma City will be at new site for the first time since its inception. The Homeless Persons Memorial Service, organized by Ignatious Spirituality Project-OKC, will be held at the Homeless Alliance day shelter in Oklahoma City on March 23. The service, which includes candles and a message of remembrance, will also be shared with friends and family of the deceased. The Homeless Alliance executive director, Dan Straughan, said this move aligns with a familiar location for people currently experiencing homelessness. The event was first held at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in 2018 and has been held at Eighth Street Church of the Nazarene in recent years. The deceased individuals' names are typically collected from agencies such as agencies that provide services to people experiencing homelessness and the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Published : a month ago by Carla Hinton, The Oklahoman in Lifestyle
A woman places a candle inside the Eighth Street Church of the Nazarene during a 2023 memorial service for those who died while experiencing homelessness.
Many aspects of an annual community memorial service will be the same as years past.
Candles will be lit to honor people who died while experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City, and a message of remembrance will be shared. Friends and family of the deceased will join service providers and members of the community at large to honor their loved ones and unhoused neighbors.
But instead of being held at a local house of worship, for the first time, the Homeless Persons Memorial will be at the Homeless Alliance day shelter, 1724 NW 4. The service is set for at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 23.
The annual Oklahoma City event organized by Ignatious Spirituality Project-OKC was first held at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in 2018 and in recent years, Eighth Street Church of the Nazarene hosted the service, but Dan Straughan, longtime Homeless Alliance executive director, said it made sense to host this year's service at a familiar and comfortable location for people currently experiencing homelessness.
"It's a new thing," Straughan said.
"This will enable our clients — the people that come to the day shelter, people experiencing homelessness — to attend. And, since we're memorializing people who have passed, formerly homeless people, we just thought it'd be a better thing to have it in a place where maybe their friends who were also homeless would feel comfortable attending."
Straughan said 64 people who died in 2023 in Oklahoma City while experiencing homelessness and individuals who have previously experienced homelessness, will be memorialized at the coming service. He said the deceased individuals' names are typically collected from organizations including agencies that provide services to people experiencing homelessness and the Oklahoma City Police Department. He said the Homeless Alliance collects names throughout the year and sends out a specific request for names at the end of the year.
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The Ignatius Spirituality Project is a nationwide faith-based organization that works with people transitioning from homelessness and recovering from addiction. The Homeless Persons Memorial Service gatherings are typically held in conjunction with National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day on Dec. 21, the winter solstice — the longest night of the year. However, the Oklahoma City memorial has been moved in recent years to a time period after the winter holidays.
'They were members of our community'
Straughan said the Ignatious Spirituality Project-OKC group offers the memorial service and the Homeless Alliance has been part of the event because it is important for the community.
"It's important to remember that people experiencing homelessness are not a stranger — they're our neighbors, they're moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters — from our community," Straughan said.
"It's important to remember them when they passed, and this is just a way to acknowledge that they were members of our community and we owe them some respect."
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Sherry Alexander, Ignatius Spirituality Project-OKC area coordinator, said she was touched by the crowd of about 100 people who attended last year's memorial service at Eighth Street Church of the Nazarene, but not surprised because people in Oklahoma City and the surrounding area have embraced the idea of coming together to memorialize community members who died while experiencing homelessness.
Alexander said she was thankful to St. Paul's for "taking a chance" on the Ignatius Spirituality Project when it wanted to introduce the service to the community, and she was also grateful for Eighth Street Church for hosting the service, particularly during the COVID pandemic.
"Our friends and neighbors care about what's going on so just to keep finding a place for us to meet, and at least support what we can at this particular time, I couldn't ask for better people," she said.
Meanwhile, Straughan said the tradition of reading names of the deceased aloud has always been an important part of the annual memorial service, and this year will be no different. He said the tradition is often difficult for people reading the names because each one represents a loss of someone who died without the comfort and stability of a permanent home.
And yet, he said it remains a meaningful ritual for those who read off the names and everyone else in attendance because they are honoring the deceased.
"Always, the list is too long and it's kind of hard for readers to get through the reading," Straughan said.
"So, it's an emotional day, but a good one."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Annual Homeless Persons Memorial service in OKC will be at new site
Topics: Social Issues, Homelessness