More than 400 unhoused Calgarians remembered at annual memorial service
One by one, the names of 436 Calgarians were read during an annual memorial service at a community living room in the city’s downtown core.
All of those people were experiencing homelessness. And they died in that situation this year.
For the past nine years, the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) has held The Longest Night of the Year — an event to remember those who’ve lost their lives while homeless in the city.
“The people we remember are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and friends,” Patricia Jones, the CEO of CHF, said.
“Each one lived a life that deserves to be honoured.”
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This year’s event comes days after three people were found dead after a shed fire in Crowfoot in northwest Calgary.
It was later identified that those who died were looking for a place to shelter.
“One name is one too many,” Jones said.
“This past year has highlighted the vital importance of a home for our health and well-being. The list of names that are read speaks to the urgency to address the needs of those experiencing homelessness.”
In the CHF’s most recent Point in Time report, released every two years, 2,782 Calgarians were experiencing homelessness in the city as of September 27, 2022.
That number is a 4% decrease from 2,911 people counted in 2018.
A breakdown of the number shows that the biggest factor for losing housing was not enough income at 28%.
Landlord and tenant conflicts and spouse or partner conflicts were both attributed at 14%, while substance abuse was at 13%, according to the report.
According to the City of Calgary, one in five Calgary households are unable to afford where they currently live, with over 84,600 households spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
The City recently went ahead with a process to start developing two plots of land for affordable housing for those experiencing or on the brink of homelessness.
There are also several initiatives within the municipal government’s housing strategy and from other levels of government that are intended to work toward reducing the number and giving people a place to live.
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