January, 2005
STREETVIBES Homeless Memorial Day honors homeless individuals who have passed away in 2004 The Annual Homeless Memorial Day was held at dusk in Washington Park on December 21, 2004 with a barrel fire and the
reading of names. The gathering was sponsored locally by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Homeless Memorial Day is a national day of mourning for the homeless men, women and children who have passed away in a given year. The event featured the lighting of candles as the names of the deceased were read. Local church and youth groups were on hand to pass out soup and warm clothing. Coalitions in Cleveland, Dayton, Columbus and others all across the nation participated in the event with a candlelight vigil and the reading of names of persons who have died. Held on the longest night of the year, the winter solstice, Homeless Memorial Day is a chance for friends and loved ones to gather to mourn those, both known and unknown, who
are no longer with us. Over 100 people attended the event in Washington Park near the Drop Inn Center in Cincinnati. Homeless Memorial Day is also a chance to mourn the national tragedy of homelessness and bring awareness to the suffering of the 25,000 men, women and children who experience homelessness each year in Cincinnati.
“It is great to see the community pull together to help provide relief for the people experiencing homelessness in Cincinnati,” stated Georgine Getty, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, “it’s just unfortunate that we have to meet on such somber terms. It’s a tragedy that people continue to die homeless.”
Record turn out helps Coalition celebrate 20 years of service at annual dinner by John Zeh photos by Jimmy Heath The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless celebrated its 20th anniversary with a record turn out, a look back at GCCH’s success, and a powerful vision of what’s necessary in the future. “Homes, Dignity, and Hope” included a silent auction, an award’s ceremony, and an address by a veteran advocate for the poor on December 9 at Xavier University’s Cintas Center. The event’s master of ceremonies, dental hygienist Clifford Jones, introduced “two dynamic souls,” GCCH director Georgine Nearly 300 people attended the GCCH Anual Dinner Getty and social worker/psychologist Dr. Ronald Arundell. encamped along the Ohio River in The Coalition published the Getty praised the coalition’s Covington, KY, transporting citizens 100th issue of Streetvibes last year, leaders for their great “sense of to the polls November 2nd, served “a real milestone leading to the humor and sense of humanity. You Mother’s Day luncheons to 150 monthly papers’ 10 year anniversary are the backbone of preserving women, helped operate a successful as an alternative to the mainstream GCCH’s mission and future,” she 2004 Stand Down for 500 folks, press in 2005,” said editor Jimmy said. “What an amazing gift you have worked as advocate for affordable Heath. given Cincinnati.” housing, and introduced He cited Streetvibes’ biggest She listed accomplishments homelessness into the curriculum of challenges as a “political struggle” such as: ‘hosting 11 general body public schools with “amazing results,” with City Hall, saying mayor Charlie meetings last year of member groups’ creating a whole new outlook that will Luken would like to shut down representatives, participation in the help children and teenagers become Streetvibes, because, in Luken’s Greater Cincinnati AIDS Coalition, advocates for the homeless,’ Getty words, GCCH is “arming defending homeless people said. panhandlers with papers to sell.”
Streetvibes is part of a network of about 50 other street papers with a new online newswire “bringing a voice to people who often go unheard.” Heath is a photographer and community activist living and working in Overthe-Rhine, where he arrived nine years ago as a homeless person, eventually finding his way to the Drop Inn Center homeless shelter. Dr. Arundell is associate professor of social work at Mt. St. Joseph College on the west side holding a masters from Fordham University and a doctorate in counseling from the University of Cincinnati. He worked in the 1970’s to make General (now University) Hospital here more accountable to patients. He has also worked as an ironworker and millwright. He said he uses Streetvibes in his classrooms to give students insights to people who are poor and
See DINNER, Page 8
Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless