18 homeless people died in Dayton area in 2009

Photos: Homeless persons' memorial

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By Doug Page, Staff Writer Updated 6:06 PM Monday, December 21, 2009

DAYTON — Under lead-bottomed skies, around 100 people gathered on Courthouse Square Plaza today, Monday, Dec. 21, to hear the roll call of the 18 homeless people who died on the streets this year.

Standing well clothed in the sharp breeze and sub-freezing temperatures awaiting the start of the 11th annual memorial service, Joan Shanahan of Clayton said those present should leave with the knowledge of “how thankful they should be not to be homeless.”

Her husband, Bob, noted the memorial always falls on the first day of winter. “That should be a reminder of what people face on the streets,” he said.

Among the speakers at the 30-minute event was Dan Foley, president of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, who urged the crowd not to let homelessness become an “invisible issue.”

“The … people who passed away this year were human beings. … The best thing we can do to honor them is to continue to improve the lives of the homeless,” he said.

Charles Meadows of the Homeless Solutions Policy Board said much has changed in the past three years. A 2006 survey found 127 people who were chronically homeless. This year, the survey found 52, Meadows said.

“For those who died, change did not come quickly enough,” he said.

It was Joey Burnett who put a face to homelessness. He described his loss of job, eviction, and eventual addiction. Though he knew services were available, he said his pride kept him from getting help. “Finally, I reached a point where if I didn’t do something, I was going to end up dead on the street.”

Today, Burnett has a job, is a straight-A student at Sinclair Community College and volunteers with the Salvation Army.

The program, organized by the Emergency Housing Coalition, ended with the reading of the first names — as is traditional in the homeless community — and ages of those who had died. After each name was read, a single handbell rang in the cold silence.