PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — More than 300 people who died last year in Philadelphia experienced homelessness at some point in their lives.
On Wednesday, dozens of people gathered across the street from City Hall for Homeless Persons' Memorial Day.
The program included the reading of poems and names, songs, personal stories, and a call to action. Many called on the city to do more for its homeless population by allocating more money and resources to homeless programs.
"It's sad that somebody lost their life but good that they're being memorialized," said Monica Buye, a homeless outreach specialist. "A lot of people don't care about the homeless. We're here to let them know that we care about them, they're still human."
At the ceremony, James Deckert recounted how he was homeless in Philadelphia for eight years.
"At a certain point, you just get tired of living like that. You have your epiphany, you're aha moment," he said, noting not every homeless person gets the opportunity to have that moment, and Deckert's was a pretty painful one.
"For me, it was my girlfriend passing away. That was the last straw. When she died, she was No. 39 that died that year," he said.
"I'm excited to see everyone, but I think it's a shame that it takes people passing away for everyone to come together and bring awareness to [homelessness]."
He's been off the streets for the last two years, and he's grateful for how far he's come. He's helping others at the Miracles in Progress recovery center.
"I'm just trying to show people there's hope, just don't give up, because there is a way out."
