""Every life lost to homelessness was preventable. People do not die because they lack resilience or will," said representatives for the Supportive Housing Network of New York, Care For the Homeless, and Urban Pathways, three groups who organize the event, in statement. "They die because of policy choices-because safe and affordable housing was treated as a privilege rather than a right; because health care access is fragmented; because our safety net systems failed to catch them in time; and because our collective response failed to match the scale of the need.""
"Held around the winter solstice each year, this December observance remembers New Yorkers who experienced homelessness and lost their lives-on the street, in shelters, or shortly after they moved into housing. The ceremony, which assembles unhoused residents, service providers, and officials, casts light on the struggles that homeless New Yorkers face in hopes that the city can do better."
An annual vigil held around the winter solstice honored 380 New Yorkers who died while homeless this year. The ceremony included 380 bell chimes, name readings, and candle lighting, and assembled unhoused residents, service providers, and officials. Organizers — Supportive Housing Network of New York, Care For the Homeless, and Urban Pathways — said each death was preventable and attributed fatalities to policy choices: treating housing as a privilege, fragmented health care, a failed safety net, and a mismatched collective response. The list of names is crowdsourced from shelter staff and clients, and the deceased ranged in age from 24 to 87.
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