LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A vigil was held on Thursday evening in honor of homeless individuals who died on Las Vegas streets in the past year.
The 29th Annual Homeless Vigil was held at Hebron Apartments, which offer low-income housing and programming to veterans, homeless people and seniors. 240 names of individuals who passed while living on the streets were read while event-goers lit candles to honor each person lost.
Speeches were made by people in attendance, sharing anecdotes and personal experiences of being homeless or losing a loved one while they were homeless.
"Dozens, if not hundreds, of people are here to honor the 240 names that were read," said Tim Burch, an administrator with the Department of Health and Human Services in Clark County. "We took time to honor and remember that these are people, our constituents, our neighbors who unfortunately passed away before we could get them help."
The event also provided a chance for non-profits to come together to support one another and address the challenges of homelessness.
"We were able to give out resources about Nevada Homeless Alliance, and what we are doing in the future, as well as a lot of networking among community providers," said Catrina Grigsby-Thedford, another administrator with the Clark County Department of Health and Human Services. "We see the people, we hear the people and we're not going to leave anyone behind."
It was also a moment to put the spotlight on the need to get people back on their feet and off the streets.
"79,000 affordable houses in our community is actually [falls] short. Housing is a form of health care — the thing that keeps people from passing on the streets," Burch said. "Until we can get [more] housing built, we need the resources like here at Hebron, Caridad, Safer Streets. All the local nonprofits [need] to come together and serve the thousands of homeless individuals we have on our streets here in the Las Vegas valley."
