New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness hosts Memorial Day vigil
By Amari Saxton
Click here for updates on this story
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — The New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness held a memorial on Wednesday honoring the lives of several homeless people lost and to highlight the severe human toll of homelessness in New Mexico.
The annual vigil, which has been taking place for at least the last 30 years, is held yearly to celebrate the lives of the people in the last 12 months who have died and were experiencing homelessness.
The organizers of the event state the importance of the involvement of community volunteers who have helped with the planning process.
“While it’s both somber and about remembrance, it’s also a call to action that something needs to be done about the problem,” says William Bowen, program manager for the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness. “It’s important that we create space to remember people who are often ignored and whose deaths are not often honored.”
As far as what’s next for the organization, Bowen says in January, the coalition hopes to lead the annual point-in-time count event to count everyone who is experiencing homelessness. He says it will be a time and an opportunity for people to volunteer and distribute resources to those on the street.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.