San Diego Rescue Mission is a non-profit homeless shelter and recovery center serving thousands of homeless, hungry, and poor men, women, and children in San Diego since 1955.
Event Calendar
Graduation - You're Invited!
Community Outreach Holiday Meals
Photo Gallery
SDRM in the Local Media
Press Releases
JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST
Stay up to date on SDRM events, news, and volunteer opportunities by submitting your email below.
Thousands of homeless people in San Diego need your help!
Give a Gift today!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2005
SAN DIEGO RESCUE MISSION HOLDS 4TH ANNUAL CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
Interfaith Memorial Service Remembers 54 People Who Died While Homeless in Past Year
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Rescue Mission this evening held its 4th Annual Candlelight Vigil in memory of the 54 people who died while homeless in the San Diego community in the past year. The interfaith event took place at the San Diego Community Concourse and included the reading of the names of all 54 who died. "We want those who have died alone to receive the respect due them as children of God. And we rededicate ourselves to serve people who still live on the streets so we will not need any more vigils," said Jim Jackson, Jr., CEO of the San Diego Rescue Mission.
In the past four years, over 300 men and women died homeless and alone on the streets, in the alleyways and on the sidewalks of San Diego County. A Vietnam Memorial-style butcher paper display at the vigil listed all 300 names.
The event was attended by more than 100 concerned members of the community, including homeless who came to remember their fallen friends and comrades and members of the Rescue Mission staff and choir. Of the 54 who died this year, 47 were men and 7 were women. The average age was just 51 and the youngest homeless person who died was only 28 years old.
The names of the dead were read by local religious leaders and homeless advocates, including Imam Sharif Battikhi of the American Islamic Services Foundation; Pastor Wilbert Miller of First Lutheran Church; Kim Pearson-Brown, Homeless Services Coordinator for the City of San Diego; Kent Peters of San Diego Catholic Diocese; Faye Presley, Bahai Faith; and others.
In the past, official records often listed homeless men and women who died on the streets as "Jane Doe" or "John Doe". Since San Diego Rescue Mission began its candlelight vigil and memorial service four years ago, the Office of the Medical Examiner had been successful in identifying most of those who died homeless, said Jackson.
ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO RESCUE MISSION
Every day, the lives of homeless men, women, and children are changed at the San Diego Rescue Mission. The Mission's long-term programs provide the physical necessities, vocational training, and spiritual encouragement needed to truly turn their lives around. The San Diego Rescue Mission prepares over 350,000 free meals and provides over 120,000 free nights of shelter each year, serving thousands of San Diego's homeless. For more information, visit www.sdrescue.org.
Back to Press Releases