EVERETT — People come to pay their respects.
On the longest night of the year, the county hosts a vigil to memorialize those who died on the streets. It commences at 5:15 p.m. on the county's campus, 3000 Rockefeller Ave.
This event honors those who died as homeless individuals between Dec. 22, 2022 and Dec. 20, 2023 so their passings are not in vain. It is outside to reflect on the conditions homeless individuals experience.
The numbers have broadly increased each year since the first vigil in 2010. Last year's vigil honored 86, including 12 veterans. This year's number is expected to be larger, said Cammy Hart-Anderson, a division manager in the county's human services department.
Somber people stand outside on the cold concrete steps of the county amphitheater to honor the deceased. A bell rings for each. Deceased veterans are given a salute and the playing of "Taps."
A call for remembrance opens the event and a performance of "Amazing Grace" closes.
In Snohomish County in 2017, 21 people were identified and honored as having died while homeless. The list of honorees rose to 36 in 2018, 53 in 2019, 52 in 2020, 64 (including nine veterans) in 2021 and 86 (including 12 vets) last year.
Homelessness in the county is rising as well.
An annual snapshot count of homelessness last January identified 1,285 people in 1,028 households residing in shelter, transitional housing, or living without shelter in Snohomish County the night of Jan. 23, 2023. There were 691 people living without shelter that night, and the county notes temperatures weren't cold enough for cold weather shelters to be open.
The risk of dying prematurely is real for homeless individuals. The life expectancy for a homeless person is estimated to be some 25 years shorter than the average American.
As county veteran services board member Jim Armstrong said at 2021's vigil, each is a person to remember. "Someone's brother, sister, son or daughter. Someone's friend, someone's partner, someone's keeper." And hopefully, someone will think of solutions for homelessness, he said.
The county's vigil happens alongside similar vigils nationally.
The pandemic didn't stop the vigil. It was done virtually in 2020 and 2021.
