CLEVELAND — The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless held a Dec. 4 vigil for four unsheltered homeless men who died in the past two weeks, setting up memorial tenants on Cleveland's Train Avenue.
Coalition Executive Director Chris Knestrick told News 5 that the vigil/memorial service was to make the invisible visible and to promote awareness concerning the need for more funding and resources to support the estimated 300 unsheltered homeless living on the streets of Cleveland.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
“What they symbolizes to us is that we are living through a humanitarian crisis and a public health crisis, and people need access to services," Knestrick said. “Also to remember the reasons why they died, and for us it’s not because they made a mistake, it’s because our system failed them.”
Knestrick and coalition Director of Organizing and Advocacy, Josiah Quarles, said the vigil was to remember George, Nathan, Joey and Russel and call for more federal American Rescue Plan Act funds from Cleveland and the county to create programs to specifically address the needs of people who choose to live outside, oftentimes in a tent setting,
“You shouldn’t have to leave this plane of existence to find a home, every memorial like this is also a call to action," Quarles said. “We cannot stand idly by as our community members suffer, there is no price tag on a human life and so whatever investment has to be, just has to be made.”
Some of the three dozen attending the vigil, including Carey Gibbons, shared their personal stories of the four men they helped and called friends.
“They were dealt a hand that was very hard and still yet on every occasion pushed through and saw the beauty in everyday life," Gibbons said. “Often times when folks are experiencing homelessness there is great invisibility to that, and we want to take that away today, that these folks are not invisible.”
If you'd like to donate or volunteer with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless or get guidance on how to help in other ways, all the information you need can be found on its website.
News 5 is committed to following through on this crucial issue.
