NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE COUNTY ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS
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This Friday, Dec. 20, the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness (SCATEH) Barrie Chapter, in partnership with Hospice Simcoe and the David Busby Centre, will host the second annual Homelessness Memorial Service.
The service will be held at the Barrie City Hall Rotunda at 10 a.m., and the program of sharing, music, and a moment of silence is expected to run approximately 30 minutes.
Dec. 21 is the first day of winter and longest night of the year, and as such was chosen as an appropriate day for National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day in the U.S. Canada does not, as of yet, have a national Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day.
Each year, members of our community die while experiencing homelessness. The average life expectancy of a person experiencing prolonged homelessness in Canada is 39 years, less than half the life expectancy of the average Canadian.
“Our community has committed to ending chronic homelessness by the end of 2024, which is a worthy and important goal,” notes SCATEH Barrie Chapter Co-Chair Jennifer van Gennip. “In the meantime, it is also important to recognize those who are dying as a result - either directly or indirectly - of precarious or unsuitable housing.
"This memorial is a chance for family, friends, and peers of those who have died to grieve, but also for us, as a community, to acknowledge that this is happening in our midst, stand together, and commit to positive change.”
All are welcome to take part in the memorial service.
About SCATEH
The Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness (SCATEH) is a local movement to prevent and end homelessness in Simcoe County. We do this through coordinated strategies, advocacy, and awareness. Learn more at www.scateh.com.
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