Homeless Persons' Memorial honors those who passed, those still struggling
Dec. 22—WILKES-BARRE — One by one, with candles lit, the group gathered outside St. Stephen's Episcopal Church went around and read names aloud from tiny slips of paper.
Each of the names, many just first names or nicknames, belonged to a member of the area's homeless community, individuals who have died over the years.
It's a solemn reminder of just how prevalent homelessness is in the community — and a reminder that more work must be done to come to the aid of the homeless.
"It's extremely important, particularly for those of us who work with people who are experiencing homelessness," said Crystal Kotlowski, the NEPA Director for Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania, at Wednesday evening's Homeless Persons' Memorial.
"We go through this journey with them, and they shouldn't be forgotten."
St. Stephen's, on Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre, has hosted the county's annual Homeless Persons' Memorial dating back to 2001, according to Father Tim Alleman, who led the ceremony with a short prayer service inside the church before leading the group of 20 or so out to the courtyard for the reading of the names.
"We do this to keep their memory alive and to stir in us a desire for us as a community to speak up." Alleman said during the service. "Not only on behalf of those who have died but, in their memory, on behalf of those who are living."
According to the Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania, 1,516 individuals experienced homelessness in Luzerne County between July 1, 2021 and June 30 of this year.
Several organizations aimed toward combating homelessness and assisting those who suffer from it, including Volunteers of America, the United Way, Catholic Social Services, the Luzerne-Wyoming Counties Mental Health and Developmental Services and more were in attendance to take part in the ceremony, with representatives from several of the organizations doing prayer readings during the service.
The keynote speaker was Wilkes-Barre City councilman Tony Brooks, who spoke of his striking up a friendship with a homeless man named Jimmy, whom Brooks met several years ago while walking his dogs along the River Commons.
Brooks said that Jimmy joined him and his husband Matt on a handful of occasions when the two would open up their home on holidays like Christmas and Easter to anyone who was alone for the holidays.
Sadly, Brooks said that he hasn't heard from Jimmy in a number of years.
"I wonder what happened to him, I worry for him," Brooks said.
Special tribute was also paid to the late Gene Brady, the longtime executive director of the Commission on Economic Opportunity who died in October at the age of 72.
"It's fitting that we remember Gene Brady and all that he did with CEO, to seek to be the voice of the voiceless ones in our community," Alleman said.
Kotlowski said that Brady's impact was felt by all of the service organizations in the area, and he was a huge help to Ruth's Place, the woman's shelter owned and operated by Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania.
"All of the residents there [at Ruth's Place] rely on CEO to help them reestablish housing and get back on their feet," she said. "The work that Gene did throughout his life to make that possible is commendable, and we should remember him on a night like this."
The memorial service's aim is to remember those who have died, but like Alleman said, it's also to bring a spotlight and some assistance to those still living in homelessness.
Brooks echoed these sentiments in his own remarks.
"May their memories stir up in us a greater resolve, a greater compassion," Brooks said. "There are wonderful people working to help every day, but it's not enough.
"We need to do more."
