LEWISTON, ID – CHAS Health will honor individuals who died while living without a home this year during two public memorial events later this month, one in Lewiston and one in Spokane.
According to a news release from CHAS Health, the annual memorials are intended to remember those lost while unhoused and to raise awareness about homelessness and its impacts across the region.
The events will include speakers focused on ending homelessness and a tribute recognizing 217 people who are known to have died this year while experiencing homelessness within CHAS Health’s service area. In Spokane, the memorial will also feature a visual display with individual names placed on the fence outside the CHAS Health Denny Murphy Clinic.
The first memorial will take place on Thursday, December 18, at 11 a.m. at the CHAS Health Lewis & Clark Health Center at 1203 Idaho Street in Lewiston. The second event is scheduled for Monday, December 22, at 11 a.m. at the CHAS Health Denny Murphy Clinic at 1001 W. Second Avenue in Spokane. Both events are open to the public, will be held outdoors, and will include a warm lunch.
CHAS Health notes that communities across the country hold similar memorials around the winter solstice to draw attention to homelessness and to remember those who have died without stable housing. On any given night, more than 771,000 individuals are experiencing homelessness in the United States, according to the organization.
CHAS Health is a nonprofit organization serving more than 120,000 patients across the Inland Northwest, providing medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and health education services regardless of insurance status.
