At least 144 people experiencing homelessness in the Inland Northwest have died this year. Today the community gathered to remember them, and to call for compassion and understanding for those still living unhoused across the region.
Angelito E., May M., Thomas T., and John S. are a few of the people honored in a memorial service for those who died homeless in eastern Washington and north Idaho.
Leaders at CHAS Health, which runs clinics for low income people including many experiencing homelessness, led the annual memorial service.
Shelby Lambdin, health equity director for CHAS, told a crowd of community members Wednesday that the number of people who died homeless in the greater Spokane, Lewiston and Moscow areas is likely greater than what her organization has been able to recognize. Many who die on the streets don’t have any documentation, or close connections to identify who they were.
“While today, the winter solstice, marks the longest night, for too many people, every night seems too long, especially for those living without shelter,” she said. “Especially with today's frigidly cold weather that will continue through the rest of the week.”
CHAS medical leaders said patients experiencing homeless across their healthcare system are often suffering from conditions that are usually manageable for people who are housed, like diabetes, addiction or mental illnesses. Many people are also in much poorer health because of the stress of living outdoors.
That’s backed up by research. Studies have found those experiencing homelessness have life spans that are shorter than people who are housed and those that become homeless later in life are at risk of dying at an earlier age than they would have otherwise. People experiencing homelessness are also much more likely to die from exposure or hypothermia.
