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Pierce County proclaims Dec. 21, 2025, Homeless Persons Memorial Day; community leaders urge action
Summary
The Pierce County Council and executive proclaimed Dec. 21, 2025, Homeless Persons Memorial Day; community leaders and outreach staff described memorial activities and urged better data collection on deaths of people experiencing homelessness and stronger coordination with medical examiners and hospitals.
Pierce County on Dec. 16 proclaimed Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, as Homeless Persons Memorial Day, a national day of remembrance for people who died while experiencing homelessness.
Council member Denson read the proclamation noting the date’s significance as the first day of winter and called attention to the vulnerability of people without stable shelter. Community speakers described an upcoming memorial event (Dec. 22 at Shiloh Baptist Church) and urged that the county and state improve data collection on people who die while experiencing homelessness; one speaker said state health records did not provide counts of homeless deaths and called for legislative action to correct that gap.
Delsey Whited, a homeless outreach program manager, said memorialization is important because "these are not abstract numbers or statistics," and urged better coordination with hospitals and the medical examiner to identify deaths among people experiencing homelessness and to ensure services and supports. The council closed the proclamation with a photo opportunity and thanks to volunteers.
