The room does not need a speech to tell you why people came.
When Detroit held its homeless remembrance ceremony honoring those who died, the gathering created space to pause together and honor lives often overlooked.
This annual memorial, organized by the Pope Francis Center and held at Ss. Peter and Paul Jesuit Church in downtown Detroit, serves as a public act of remembrance for individuals who died while experiencing homelessness. Organizers said it was a moment when candles are lit, and names are spoken, with space made for grief and hope.
A ceremony rooted in the longest night of the year
Across the United States, communities often hold Homeless Persons Memorial Day events on or near December 21, the winter solstice and the longest night of the year, to remember neighbors who died while homeless. National organizations, including the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, have encouraged communities to hold vigils and public gatherings for this purpose for decades.
Detroit’s ceremony fits within that national tradition, but it also stands on its own as a local ritual that has become familiar to service providers, faith leaders, advocates, and anyone from Detroit who wants to pay their respects.
What we know about the lives being honored this year
The ceremony honored dozens of Detroiters who died while experiencing homelessness over the past year. One account referenced 45 people in Detroit who died this year while homeless, honored through displayed frames during the service.
That number is not a talking point, but a measure of loss. I approach it carefully, aware that while numbers can convey scale, the ceremony exists to honor people rather than totals.
The Pope Francis Center’s role in the story
The Pope Francis Center is a Detroit-based organization focused on serving people experiencing homelessness, including through shelter and support services. In coverage of the memorial, the Center is presented as the host and a key driver of the ceremony, partnering with the church setting to create a public space for remembrance.
The Center’s volunteer listing for the memorial service describes a ritual element that underscores the structure behind the symbolism: volunteers carry a candle down the aisle for each individual being honored, and the service is open to the public.
Homelessness in Detroit
In Detroit, the memorial lands in a community that has been wrestling with rising need and the limits of shelter capacity, especially during winter.
The Homeless Action Network of Detroit recently warned that the region’s homeless response system faces a crisis, and it cited the 2024 Point in Time count showing a 16 percent increase in homelessness in Detroit, along with a 35 percent rise in families experiencing homelessness.
The city itself has also framed homelessness response as an active area of policy work. Detroit has promoted a five-year improvement plan for its homelessness system, describing it as a roadmap shaped by input from residents, service providers, and people who have experienced homelessness.
Separate reporting on local homelessness planning and capacity gaps also signals how far the system believes it must stretch to meet need. BridgeDetroit, for example, cited a homelessness system report finding that hundreds of emergency shelter beds and permanent supportive housing units would be needed to meet demand.