People who died during the past year and didn’t have a home will be remembered today during a ceremony at Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine.
Homeless Memorial Day is an annual event usually held on the day of the year with the longest amount of nighttime hours. A national day of mourning, the local ceremony is sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless.
The event was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the park, located at the corner of 13th and Race streets. It features a memorial fire in a barrel, the reading of names and lighting of candles for the deceased, singing, a brief homily and quiet reflection.
Organizers said the ceremony is a chance to mourn the national tragedy of homelessness and bring awareness to the suffering of the roughly 1,300 men, women and children who are homeless in the region.