Designating Tuesday December 21, 2021 as National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day in the City of Philadelphia.

WHEREAS, the winter months impose extreme hardships on inadequately housed, low-income people in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, The spirit of the holiday season promotes compassion and provides an opportunity to reaffirm and renew the commitment to ending homelessness for all; and

WHEREAS, Homelessness is not just a local issue, but a national problem that calls for a national response; and

WHEREAS, The combined epidemics of COVID-19, the affordable housing shortage, the opioid crisis and racism call for creative solutions from all levels of government; and

WHEREAS, National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day is recognized on or around the first day of winter by the National Coalition for the Homeless and by more than 100 cities across the nation; and

WHEREAS, The National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council have designated December 21, 2021 as National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day; and

WHEREAS, Every year on National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, hundreds of Philadelphians gather to remember those homeless and formerly homeless Philadelphians who have died, and to call for an end to homelessness; and

WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Homeless Memorial Day Committee has planned a memorial event to honor and recognize homeless people who have experienced homelessness who have died during 2021 will be honored on Tuesday December 21, 2021; and

WHEREAS, The elimination of poverty and homelessness should be integral features of efforts to build and maintain a strong City and a strong nation; and

WHEREAS, By joining together to remember our lost neighbors, we can honor their lives by working to provide and expand effective solutions to homelessness in the City of Philadelphia, and build a truly just society for all people; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby declares its commitment to promoting solutions that fundamentally break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby declares Tuesday December 21, 2021 as Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day in the City of Philadelphia, in recognition of the people who experienced homelessness in the past or have died on our streets or in our emergency shelter system from ailments or conditions directly or indirectly related to homelessness.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Philadelphia Homeless Memorial Day Committee as a sincere expression of City Council’s gratitude and appreciation, especially for their commitment to ending homelessness in the City of Philadelphia.

End