Participate in the 2015 New London Homeless Memorial

          What: 2015 New London Homeless Memorial
          When: Monday, December 21, 2015, 6:30 p.m.
          Where: Hosted by Church Of The City, City Center, 250 State Street, New London, Ct.
          Sponsored by: St. Francis House and New London Homeless Hospitality Center

 
Family, friends, and neighbors will gather on the longest night of the year to hear the names and lives of New London's departed homeless given voice once more. Winter's shadow on the Solstice brings a stark reminder of the relentless night faced by the unsheltered, whose well being and expected tenure of life is so severely afflicted by the condition of homelessness. Memorials across America are held each year on this night to keep in view the lives so touched, that the long unsheltered night may at last reach the light of a new day.

The 2015 New London Homeless Memorial will be held on Monday, December 21, at 6:30 p.m., hosted by the Church of the City, in the City Center at 250 State Street. This is a community service which invites participation, in sharing and in songs, and in the telling of stories to keep the deceased present in living memory. Guest speaker James Stidfole will also offer reflections on the people he has encountered during his years of volunteering at the New London Breakfasts program.

Solving the visible issue of homelessness in communities is a process which includes resolving the underlying causes of every description. Health and economic crises collude and feed on each other; the roots and effects of homelessness become chronic and debilitating; and, for too many, life shortening. Embedded within the circumstance of homelessness lies a health care emergency which takes decades off the expected life span of the affected population; in 2014, the average age at passing for the homeless and once-homeless of New London was forty two years.

The impacts of homelessness reach far  beyond the time spent without home or shelter, beyond the time of distress and resolution of immediate need. Even after life has returned to a normalcy of secure housing and steady routine, the health and well-being of a once homeless person is often gravely effected. This memorial seeks to bring light to the ongoing crises of care and wellness that lies beneath the surface of this continuing social dilemma.

The 2015 Homeless Memorial is sponsored by St. Francis House and the New London Homeless Hospitality Center. Inquiries may be directed to Len Raymond at: 860-460-8752, or email: lenraymond@yahoo.com.