In Los Angeles, two events were held Sunday to mark National Homeless Persons\u2019 Memorial Day, honoring the lives of Southern California residents who died while unhoused in 2025.<\/p>\n
On average, seven unhoused people die every day in Los Angeles, \u201cmany of them alone and without acknowledgement,\u201d according to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation\u2019s Housing Is a Human Right advocacy organization \u2014 conducted a candlelight vigil Sunday night in Hollywood.<\/p>\n
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A homeless encampment along Sixth Street near the downtown LA Arts District is seen on Monday, July 14, 2025. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News\/SCNG)<\/p>\n
During the 5-6 p.m. vigil at the southwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Hudson Avenue, members and staff from homeless-service organizations joined members of the public for a reading of names of people who died in Los Angeles \u201cbefore they could exit homelessness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Archbishop Jos\u00e9 H. Gomez presided over a Homeless Persons\u2019 Interreligious Memorial at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.<\/p>\n
Gomez was joined by community, civic and religious leaders who came \u201ctogether in prayer to remember and honor our brothers and sisters who died while experiencing homelessness during the past year in the Los Angeles and Ventura counties,\u201d the archdiocese said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, we will lift up the lives of 1,564 people \u2014 among them 84 whose names are unknown \u2014 each represented by a candle bearing their name,\u201d an archdiocese statement said.<\/p>\n
The candles were carried into the Cathedral by Catholic and non-Catholic school students, \u201ca sign of hope and shared responsibility across generations and faith traditions,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
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A homeless person sleeps across from Los Angeles City Hall where AHF\u2019s Housing Is A Human Right advocates wrap red ribbon around Los Angeles City Hall to symbolize how red tape prevents affordable housing on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News\/SCNG)<\/p>\n
During the memorial, Gomez and other religious leaders invited those present \u201cto reflect on our call to walk alongside those who are unhoused, and to renew our commitment to compassion, solidarity, and works of mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attendees were also invited \u201cto take a candle and continue the prayer, entrusting the soul of that person to God\u2019s loving care.\u201d<\/p>\n
A statement by the archdiocese noted that, \u201cSince 1990, National Homeless Persons\u2019 Memorial Day has been observed each year on December 21, reminding us \u2014 on the coldest and darkest night of the year \u2014 of the sacred dignity of every human life and our shared responsibility to ensure that no one is forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n