Eugene holds vigil for 71 people who died unhoused in Lane County this year

Alan Torres, Eugene Register-Guard
Updated ·3 min read
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The city of Eugene offers electronic candles at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.
The city of Eugene offers electronic candles at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

Dec. 27, 10 a.m.: This story was updated to include a more comprehensive list of the names of the deceased.

The city of Eugene held a vigil on Thursday for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, 71 people died while homeless in Lane County between January and October, a 25% increase from the 57 who had died by that point last year, which was the first year OHA provided Lane County-specific data.

Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis reads the names of some of the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.
Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis reads the names of some of the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

The event, "is a moment for me, and I think for many of us, of despair," Vinis said.

"Every year we come and the numbers this year are higher than last year," she said. "More people are suffering. More people have died. For all the work we do we are still struggling to meet the needs that are out on our streets and of course we are here to mourn the people who did not survive that struggle … and our own failure as a society that we did not provide the services, we did not provide the shelter, we were not able to help them."

David Strahan, a member of the leadership team for Egan Warming Centers, speaks at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.
David Strahan, a member of the leadership team for Egan Warming Centers, speaks at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

The event was hosted by the city of Eugene Human Rights Commission, a volunteer advisory group to the city council whose charge is "to promote the implementation of universal human rights values and principles in all City of Eugene programs and throughout the community."

The Eugene Raging Grannies prepare to sing at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.
The Eugene Raging Grannies prepare to sing at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

Speakers besides Vinis included members of that commission, local musical activist group Eugene Raging Grannies and David Strahan, a member of the leadership team for Egan Warming Centers.

Strahan used his time to thank Egan's volunteers and encourage more people to volunteer. The Raging Grannies primarily spoke of barriers to shelter and urged more compassion from community members and city leadership.

"People despise me; They treat me badly; Why does the city let it be?" They sang from the perspective of a person experiencing homelessness in Eugene. "I want a safe place; To lay my head down; But there is no place; For me to bed down; If I had power; I'd try to change things; so these streets would be the same for all."

Members of the Human Rights Commission primarily advocated for more housing availability.

Richard Self, an advisor to Eugene City Council and Lane County Commissioners on the lived experience of homelessness, speaks at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.
Richard Self, an advisor to Eugene City Council and Lane County Commissioners on the lived experience of homelessness, speaks at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

"Housing is health care. Housing is also a basic human right," said Richard Self, a member of Eugene's Human Rights Commission and chair of the group of people with lived experience of homelessness that advise Lane County.

"Housing and services work. Prevention is the key to solving homelessness. This is the longest night, the winter solstice, and it may be inescapable but these deaths are not inevitable," he said.

An overlapping vigil centered around distributing food and harm reduction supplies was hosted by Black Thistle Street Aid, a nonprofit that provides healthcare to people experiencing homelessness. Black Thistle produced a list of 64 of the people who died this year, many of whom were known by first name or nickname.

  • Richard Dormer Sr.

  • Antonio

  • Gene Philips

  • Ernie

  • Charles

  • Dave

  • Isaac

  • James

  • Rory

  • Big Jim

  • Eric Jackson

  • Saim-Ty

  • Trina

  • Chrissy

  • Rowdy

  • Ricky

  • Celeste

  • JJ

  • Koi

  • Matthew

  • Jarett

  • Troy

  • Dilin Nathaniel

  • Cowboy

  • Stacey

  • Aaron

  • Shane

  • Robert

  • Daniel

  • Matthew F.

  • Genelle Edwards

  • Spiderhorse

  • Dane

  • Spot

  • Spider

  • Mikey

  • Kemo

  • Heather

  • Rowland

  • Andre

  • Ember

  • Ginger

  • Youssef

  • Amber

  • Jetero Klock

  • Michael Plum

  • Daniel Hoznor

  • Sativa

  • TJ

  • Jojo

  • Curtis

  • Jose Flores-Mora

  • Lestat

  • Joshua Draven

  • Kaylan

  • Trina

  • Asher

  • Little David

  • Midas

  • David Margolis

  • Wade Miller

  • Cloud

  • Joey

  • Elizabeth Olsan

According to Lane County's Homeless by Name Count, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the county gradually increased throughout 2023, going from 4,426 in January to 4,842 in November. Of those, 75% live in Eugene.

Black Thistle Street Aid lights candles for some of the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.
Black Thistle Street Aid lights candles for some of the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on X @alanfryetorres.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene holds vigil for people who died while homeless in 2023