National Homeless Persons‚ Memorial Day :
The Organizing Manual

December 21, 2004
Sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless
An Overview

Each year since 1990, on or near the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has sponsored a National Homeless Persons‚ Memorial Day to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and to remember our homeless friends who have paid the ultimate price for our nation‚s failure to address the issue.
In an effort to maximize the impact of the day, NCH has encouraged state and local groups to join the effort. Last year, over 100 cities across the nation, from Detroit to Seattle to Washington, DC, sponsored events to honor those who had died and to recommit to the task of ending homelessness.

This Year

Once again, NCH is encouraging groups to plan a special event on or around December 21, 2003. Some groups may decide to hold their event a day or so before the date.
What You Can Do
1. Determine how many homeless persons have died during the previous year in your community.
2. Organize once again˜or initiate for the first time˜an event to commemorate this day and raise awareness on homelessness and its severity.
This Manual
This manual should serve as a resource to assist you in your efforts. If you have any questions, contact Michael Stoops at (202) 737-6444 ext. 19, mstoops@nationalhomeless.org <mailto:mstoops@nationalhomeless.org> .Organizing an Event to Commemorate "National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day"
Your Event
Decide what type of event you plan to sponsor. If there is a health care for the homeless clinic/program in your community, we encourage you to jointly organize the event. Past events have included:
Candlelight marches
Vigils
Graveside services
Plays and Performances
Special religious services
Work with your local health department and/or health care clinic/program to identify the number of people who have died in your community without an address. Try also to obtain people‚s names and ages.
Make sure to have a name-reading ceremony in their honor as part of your event.
Contact Michael Stoops at the NCH (202) 737-6444 ext. 19, mstoops@nationalhomeless.org <mailto:mstoops@nationalhomeless.org> with the following information:
What type of event you are planning
The number of homeless people who have died in your community
Working with the Media
Media coverage of homelessness is at its highest as winter begins and during the holidays. National Homeless Persons‚ Memorial Day offers a great opportunity to work with the media during this time in order to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness, and to emphasize how governmental policies, or lack thereof, can cause harm to the people we serve.
Issue a News Release (see enclosed sample) announcing your event, giving information on deaths and needs in your community.
Write a Letter-to-the-Editor to your local newspaper drawing attention to your event, National Homeless Persons‚ Memorial Day, and the issue of homelessness in your community.
Invite the media to your event if you feel comfortable doing so. If not, hold a news conference.

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