LOCAL FEATURE CREDIT: GILES CLASEN KEEPING THEIR MEMORIES ALIVE: An interview with Cathy Alderman BY GILES CLASEN Cathy Alderman, chief communications and public policy officer for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, helps organize the annual “We Will Remember Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil. After the event, she spoke with the Denver VOICE. Following is the interview, which has been edited for clarity and length. WHY IS THE VIGIL IMPORTANT EACH YEAR? Every year, we honor those who have passed away in the Denver Metro area. We hold the event on the solstice because that’s the longest night that those who are forced to sleep outside are going to be enduring the nighttime. This year, we honored 269 names, and that was not even the full list because we had several people give us names of people they know who have passed, so that number was well over 270 people. We believe the vigil is important because many of these people would otherwise not have a service and like their lives, their deaths would otherwise go unnoticed. We also believe it is a really important community event to make sure everyone is aware of the struggles and dangers for those experiencing homelessness, and that we can bring some community support and advocacy for homelessness resolution. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN HOW DOES THE MEMORIAL IMPACT YOU EACH YEAR? I find the event to be very somber. It is impactful to stand together in community and acknowledge how many people without homes have passed away. It’s a little bit of a double-edged sword. We are doing something that I believe is absolutely right to do. At the same time, it weighs very heavily on my heart that we have to do it. IT SEEMS THE INTEREST FROM MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA FLUCTUATES FROM YEAR TO YEAR. HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THE EVENT? The media is kind of a mixed attendee at these events. Sometimes, the visual aspect of people coming together, holding candles, and speaking together sometimes draws more interest. It is a bit discouraging to report because we’re seeing increases in the number of people who pass every year. We’re seeing increases in the number of people experiencing homelessness every year. But it is an important story to tell. We’re also not able to talk as broadly about the successes [we have in addressing the needs of those experiencing homelessness], or what is working for those people we aren’t honoring on that night. 8 DENVER VOICE February 2022
9 Publizr Home