A candlelight vigil in Washington Park Thursday night honored the 170 Cincinnatians who died because of homelessness over the last year, according to the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition.
National Homeless Memorial Day is honored annually on the longest night of the year. Participants took turns reading each name aloud, as well as the person's age (if known). The list included five names of people who died in 2022 but were not known until after last year's vigil.
The youngest death on the list this year was a baby just shy of three months old. Homeless Coalition Director Josh Spring says the average age of death was 56.
"The national perspective is that homelessness decreases the lifespan on average by 25 years," Spring said. "Some folks on this list were found passed away outside. Some people were found in shelter. Some people were in housing, but they died young because of the effects of homelessness."
Local data shows the number of people experiencing homelessness has declined over the past three years. But according to the local group Strategies to End Homelessness, more than 6,000 people in Hamilton County experienced homelessness at some point in 2022.
