Recently, YouthCare took some time to gather in honor of National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day. Originally scheduled to gather earlier this winter, Seattle’s slew of icy weather caused a reschedule for the event but did not deter this important observation. Established in 1990, National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day was started to bring awareness to the conditions of people experiencing homelessness and to remember those who have died.
YouthCare’s main office houses a fountain in the courtyard that was dedicated in memory of “youth who have died while living on the streets”. Tradition has staff adding a new stone engraved with the name of each client when news is heard that they have passed away. The fountain bed full of stones reflects the difficult and urgent truth of the horrors that homelessness brings.
In honor of Remembrance Day, staff gathered at the fountain to place new stones in it and remember those who have died. Slips of paper with all of the names in the fountain were handed out and read aloud.
Passages and poems were also read aloud, and remembrances of those who have died were shared. Through the sadness, there were also smiles and moments of laughter at the good memories. The morning brought reflection, gravity, and a renewed sense of mission for the youth in our neighborhoods.
National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day is an urgent reminder that we are all connected and belong to each other within our shared communities. It reminds us that this struggle is one of life and death, and that the support we commit to is a point of survival for many. It reminds us that we cannot allow the streets to swallow our young people into forgotten deaths and anonymous numbers. It calls on us to carry the names and the memories of those who have lost their lives and of those who continue to fight for theirs. At YouthCare, we remember.
We Remember You
In the rising of the sun and its going down,
We Remember You.
In the bowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We Remember You.
In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring.
We Remember You.
In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer,
We Remember You.
In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn.
We Remember You.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We Remember You.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
We Remember You.
When we are lost and sick of heart,
We Remember You.
When we have joys and special celebrations we yearn to share,
We Remember You.
As long as we live, you too shall live, for you are a part of us.
We Remember You.
– Rabbi Sylvan Kamens and Rabbi Jack Riemer
It’s really great that you do this each year, as we all need to pause and remember in order to heal. In this past year the losses have been sadly more frequent – increased by the fentanyl crisis and ongoing use of our jails as the answer to mental health crises. We at Orion Clinic want to acknowledge all the staff do to support all of our youth, and to remind you all to celebrate the successes small and large. You make the difference for so many!!
For those of us who could not be there, it would be great to have a list of the names on the stones for the past year so that we can remember/share wherever we are – since many of the us and other stafff are not able to be at the Admin office.