2017 homeless deaths up amid opioid crisis
At least 232 homeless people died in Denver in 2017 — the most since numbers started being tracked by advocates and about 60 more than last year’s figure.
On the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, more than 200 people gathered in the freezing cold for “We Will Remember,” a memorial to the homeless who died in Denver.
“For many (of the dead), this will be the only memorial they’ll have,” John Parvensky, president of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, said on the steps of the Denver City and County Building.
The alarming spike in deaths is attributed, in large part, to the opioid epidemic, Parvensky said. Thirty-two percent of those on the 2017 list died of drug overdoses, with 81 percent of those deaths related to opioids.
Homelessness, drug dependency and mental health issues can go hand in hand for many people, Parvensky said.
“We have got to break that cycle,” he told the crowd.
With the prospect of tax breaks leading to federal budget cuts of social programs under the Trump administration, Parvensky and other homeless advocates fear the number of deaths will climb higher.
Parvensky, in urging the crowd to remain involved and supportive of the homeless, cited the humanitarian Mother Jones: “Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.”
All 232 names were read aloud at the candlelight vigil.
After each name was read, the crowd responded: “We will remember.”
After the last name was read, audience members were invited to call out a name of someone they knew who was missed on the list. About half a dozen names were called out.
Benjamin Dunning, 54, a founding member of Denver Homeless Out Loud, an advocacy group, said he was homeless from 2008 to 2012.
With the help of local community support, Dunning now has a home.
Dunning didn’t recognize any of this year’s victims, he said.
“In years past, there was always a … moment when a friend’s name came up,” he said.
Most people in the crowd were adequately bundled up against the freezing cold. Packages of winter wear — gloves, hats and socks — were available for people in need.
Jenna Salerno, a Denver resident employed by the coalition, said the vigil not only recognizes the homeless but celebrates their lives.
“It’s important to be recognized as a human, as a person,” she said.