Community to Remember Alameda County Residents Who Died While Homeless

Abode Services will remember the Alameda County residents who died last year while homeless during a candlelight vigil at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Fremont next Friday, November 21st at 7 p.m.

The candlelight vigil is one of a series of activities the nonprofit is organizing in conjunction with National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, a national campaign to raise awareness about homelessness.

The event is open to the public and will give the community a chance to honor the lives and dreams of the men and women who died in the last year while struggling to find a home. It will also provide an opportunity for the community to learn more about how we can work together to bring an end to homelessness.

“We should not have people dying on our streets because they could not find a place to live,” Abode Services Executive Director Louis Chicoine said. “It’s a troubling occurrence that we need to end.”

While our community has made progress toward ending homelessness, there are still thousands of adults and children who do not have a place to live. On a given night last year, there were 4,264 people homeless in Alameda County. Meanwhile, the cost of housing continues to rise. Over the last year, average apartment rents in Alameda County rose 11.6 percent, placing more individuals and families at risk of being homeless.

Speakers at the candlelight vigil will include Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who was recently appointed chair of a taskforce at the California State Association of Counties that will focus on policy regarding homelessness, and Abode Services Executive Director Louis Chicoine. Rev. Lori Walton from St. James’ Episcopal Church will lead the group in an interfaith prayer.

“Alameda County has made a commitment to ending homelessness and we can’t do it without our community-based partners, like Abode Services,” said Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who will also serve dinner with staff, Tuesday evening, to residents of Abode Services’ Sunrise Village Emergency Shelter.

Other events being organized by Abode Services next week include a week-long food drive and the “Feed Your Soul” performance night at Mission Coffee on Thursday, November 20th, at 7 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring non-perishable canned goods to both the vigil and performance night.

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For more information about the candlelight vigil and other local events during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, contact Rosa Baeza, development coordinator, at 510-657-7409 ext. 220 or rbaeza@abodeservices.org. Visit www.abodeservices.org to find out what you can do to help end homelessness.

Information submitted by Abode Services

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