SPOKANE, Wash. — CHAS Health held a memorial service this afternoon to honor 220 unhoused people who died on the streets of Eastern Washington and North Idaho this year.
The memorial drew dozens of community members to remember those who often don’t receive traditional funerals. CHAS collected the names through its clinic teams and community partners, reading 20 more names than last year.
“The help is ever-growing and it changes a person’s life, it just changes a person’s life to know that someone out here cares and wants to help,” said Ilze Zarins-Ilgen, a street outreach worker with CHAS Health.
Jeremy McSpadden Sr., who is experiencing homelessness, said the deaths are a constant reality.
“Every time I hear an ambulance, I know it’s somebody I know. It’s really rough hearing the names, their name and then the initial, because I know who they are, most of them,” McSpadden said.
The memorial featured more than 200 names displayed on a fence in front of the CHAS downtown clinic.
CHAS officials said cold winter weather creates dangerous conditions for people living on the streets, leading to health complications including frostbite that requires amputation of fingers or limbs.
Phil May-Danusair, a care coordinator with CHAS, said addressing the crisis requires better coordination.
“We need to have more partners coming together to have a coordinated plan and strategy so we’re more prepared for the wintertime next year,” May-Danusair said.
The organization noted that community members can help by donating items like sweaters or shoes. CHAS’s street outreach team hopes the memorial will help the community understand the difficulties faced by people experiencing homelessness.
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