Local advocates for the homeless Wednesday launched the longest night of the year with the unveiling of a memorial dedicated to those who have died on the streets merely for lack of adequate shelter.
The outdoor memorial rests in the earth at Memorial and Paderewski drives, just feet from the Matt Urban Hope Center, where Karen Carman serves as director. During Wednesday’s service, which included a candlelight vigil, Carman described homelessness as a social tragedy.
“We have men, women, children, veterans, the elderly homeless, [all] living on the street. We have people with mental disease living outside unable to fend for themselves,” said Carman.
