"Memorial Service for the Homeless"

Baltimore County Coalition for the Homeless held a memorial last night in Towson. There was a service with different speakers with 2 of the speakers reading the names of each Baltimorean who died on the streets in 2009. Two of them were named "Unknown."

The most surprising part of the night was hearing a speaker who has a Masters from Johns Hopkins and is homeless and staying in the shelter in Baltimore County. He's been homeless for 16 months.

Then there was a vigil where we were given plastic votives and walked to the newly constructed memorial in Towson again for those who died homeless on the streets of Baltimore.

The other highlight of the evening was that a boy scout of 14 is the one who built the memorial. He did a little speech and said that he was required to build the memorial as a Boy Scout project. He didn't intially care about the issue of homelessness but as he learned more he became very interested in it.

I don't know exactly how to end this piece other then to say that, I told one of the attendees that most homelessness is hidden. People doubling up with family or friends because they can't afford rental costs.

www.bcch.org

They figured out that a minimum wage worker would need to work 145 hours a week to afford a 2 bedroom apt. in Baltimore county!