Skip to main content

Northeast Florida community to honor lives lost to homelessness at annual memorial service

A homeless camp in downtown Jacksonville. (Copyright 2021 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Northeast Florida community will gather Friday morning to honor the lives of those who died experiencing homelessness.

Changing Homelessness and City Rescue Mission partnered to bring the annual memorial service to commemorate National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day.

Recommended Videos



Family members, friends, faith leaders and elected officials are expected to attend the service, which is always held the day before the first day of winter and the longest night of the year.

“The annual memorial is a moment to reflect, grieve, and to recommit ourselves to the work of creating a community where no one is left behind,” says Dawn Gilman of Changing Homelessness, “Every name we read represents a life of inherent value, and we are steadfast in our mission to provide hope, stability, and dignity to our neighbors experiencing homelessness.”

The service will be held at City Rescue Mission at 426 McDuff Avenue South.


Recommended Videos