Dec. 16, 2025, 4:07 a.m. CT
Local advocates for the city’s homeless population are organizing a vigil memorializing people who have died during the past year while experiencing homelessness.
The half-hour long vigil organized by the South Plains Homeless Consortium is set for 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Dave Freriks Park near the intersection of 16th Street and Avenue K in downtown Lubbock.
The event is part of National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, which is observed annually on Dec. 21 — the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, according to a consortium news release.
The memorial serves as a time to reflect lives lost and to acknowledge the harsh realities faced by people without stable housing. It also serves to recognize ongoing work to prevent homelessness and reduce the conditions that make such losses possible, the release states.
“This is a moment for our community to see one another,” Aaron Dawson, president of the South Plains Homeless Consortium, said in the release. “Each life remembered represents a person who mattered, who was known and loved, and whose passing calls us to listen more closely and respond with greater care.”