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On December 21st, 2022 CARE would like to invite our community to join us for our 1st annual Longest Night: Houseless Persons Memorial Event. ALL are welcome as we honor those in our community who have lost their lives to houselessness and recommit ourselves, with a promise to those still unsheltered, that we will end Houselessness in Tillamook County.
Dec. 21st 2022 is the Winter Solstice this marks the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year, and the day we spend more hours in darkness than in the light. It is also the day that we at CARE along with many affordable housing advocates across the nation have chosen to remember the many Houseless people who lose their life because they are unsheltered.
The evening will begin just before sunset starting at 4:30 pm, with a candle light vigil honoring those we have lost in our community to Houselessness. This will be held at Green Space Located on first between Pacific and Main, across from Rodeo Steak House.)
Followed by a presession at 7:00 pm to First Christian Church where we will prepare to open the Warming Center at 8:00 pm to our community’s unhoused so that they have a warm safe place available to them on The Longest Night of the year. First shift Warming Center Volunteers will stay to watch over the shelter as the rest of the of the procession returns back to camp CARE’s Night of Houselessness Event.
CARE’s Night of Houselessness Event is a night where The CARE Team will experience houselessness for a night in solidarity with the unsheltered on the Longest Night of the year. We invite Individuals and teams from the community to join us armed with nothing but a tents, tarps, a sleeping bags, and what you can carry on our person as we submerge ourselves in solidarity as authentically as possible for the nights event. Participants are encouraged to join the CARE Team in “Flying a Sign” (panhandling or collecting donations) on the street corners surrounding the Camp site throughout the night in with the goal of collecting donations to support Houseless services provided at CARE. Community members are also encouraged to drop off donations for CARE to the site through the night. Additionally, we invite private citizens, businesses, schools, social service agencies, healthcare providers, individuals or teams to seek sponsors & pledges for the time they spend joining us Houseless for a Night. Proceeds will go to the ongoing support of services for our communities houseless provided at CARE. All are welcome to attend and join us in solidarity with our community members in letting them know that we believe homelessness should never happen in Tillamook County. CARE hopes this act of solidarity
might cultivate a better personal understanding and insight as to what it is like to go unsheltered in the dead of winter while also raising community awareness.
No one knows precisely how many homeless people die each year; cities and states are not required to report that information and Tillamook County has no central location for this information. Please help us honor those in our community that have succumb to the harshness of living a life unsheltered. This is a group of people in our community that often is not honored when die. They do not get funerals; celebration of life parties or Memorials and CARE is honored to begin setting aside this day each year so that we can honor and remember them.
***If someone you know has lost their life while unsheltered and you would like them remembered at the event December 21st 2022, please Email their Name, age, and year they passed to Krystine Valle- KValle@careinc.org, or call the CARE office at 503-842-5261 and request a name be added to the memorial list.
What is The Longest Night?
Dec. 21st 2022 is the Winter Solstice, which marks the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year, and the day we spend more hours in darkness than in the light. On this day CARE has chosen to join affordable housing advocates across the nation to remember those who have succumbed to the harshness of living a life unsheltered. This group of people in our community often is forgotten when they die. They do not get funerals; celebration of life parties or memorials, and CARE is proud to create this annual event to honor and remember them.
No one knows precisely how many houseless people die each year; cities and states are not required to report that information and Tillamook County has no central location for this information.
The CARE team invites our community to join us for our first Annual Longest Night Event.
Which will start with a candlelight vigil followed by CARE’s Night of Houselessness Event, a fundraiser in which The CARE Team will experience houselessness for a night in solidarity with Our People living unsheltered on the Longest Night of the year. On your own or as a team please join
us armed with nothing but tents, tarps, sleeping bags, and what you can carry as we submerge ourselves in houselessness for the night. Participants are encouraged to join the CARE Team in
“Flying a Sign” (aka panhandling or collecting donations) on the street corners surrounding the Camp site throughout the night with the goal of collecting donations to support Houseless services provided at CARE. All proceeds will go to the CARE’S ongoing support of our unhoused community.
All are welcome to attend, please join us in solidarity with our community members in letting them know that we believe homelessness should never happen in Tillamook County. For more abour CARE’s services and to donate, please go to www.careinc.org.
Dec. 21st 2022 is the Winter Solstice, which marks the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year, and the day we spend more hours in darkness than in the light. On this day CARE has chosen to remember those who have succumbed to the harshness of living a life unsheltered. The CARE team invites our community to join us for The First Annual Longest Night Event to remember Our People living houseless that we have lost.
Schedule of events:
• 4:30 pm– Candle Light Vigil (4:34pm Sunset) This will be held at Green Space Located on first between Pacific and Main, across from Rodeo Steak House.
• 5:00 pm– Storytelling – We invite community members to share stories, and person ally honor their lost loved ones.
• 5:45 pm– Claim your territory and start “flying your Sign” aka. Panhandling or taking donations, Those living houseless for the night in solidarity set up camp.
• 7:00 pm– Procession to Warming Center
• 7:30 pm– Warming Center set up
• 8:00 pm- Warming Center Opens, Procession back to camp
• 8:30 pm– Continue “flying your Sign” aka. Panhandling or Taking donations through out the night
• 7:56 am– Sunrise
• 8:00 am– Clean up Camp
