MISSOULA — Saturday, on the longest night of the year, on top of the steps of the Missoula County Courthouse, Missoulians gathered to remember people who died while experiencing homelessness this year.
The 4th annual ceremony featured a reading of the 24 people’s names who had died in Missoula.
The names were read by Missoula’s coordinated Outreach Team, Mayor John Engen, County Commissioner Slotnick and City Council President Bryan von Lossberg.
Missoula was just one out of 150 cities and counties across the United States to bring awareness to homelessness and the remembrance of those who have died.
Theresa Williams, the coordinator of Reaching Home: Missoula’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, said the purpose of this event is to make sure those that were lost will not be forgotten.
“For a lot of the people that we are naming tonight and remembering, they are someone’s brother and sister, and eight of them were actually veterans, and so we are just remembering them and saying their names tonight so they will not be forgotten,” said Williams.
The ceremony also featured a song by Kevin Kicking Woman and a poem by Barry Maxwell.
