Shelter agency holds memorial for homeless who died this year

Homelessness is tough, even when there's an organization like Journeys from PADS to HOPE to help.

And when clients die, their passing might not be noted anywhere except at Journeys.

"It's really important to remember people who have passed," said Todd Stull, clinical director. "With our clients a lot of the time they're forgotten. Many are estranged from their family or are dealing with various issues."

But Chris Colangelo, outreach specialist, said he does not forget these people.

"For me they stay with me every day," he said. "The lessons they taught me are invaluable and indelible."

Stull and Colangelo were the only people who spoke at the simple ceremony Monday at the Hope Day Center, 1140 E. Northwest Hwy., Palatine.

Two clients joined the small group of volunteers and staff members, totaling about a dozen people. Stull lit three wicks on a large candle to honor the three Journeys clients known to have died during 2009. And he added another candle in honor of others whose deaths might have occurred without the knowledge of the Journeys community. The staff could not reveal names because of privacy rules, he said, and most years the numbers total between five and 10.

This is the ninth year the ceremony has been held, Colangelo said. It is always around the winter solstice because this is the hardest and most dangerous time of year for homeless people.

"It's the lack of open places and the elements and other dangers," he said.

Journeys from PADS to HOPE operates 19 temporary shelters in churches around the Northwest suburbs with two or three sites open each night from October through April. Over the seven months, 3,000 volunteers operate the sites, serving about 100 people each night, said Pat Harrington, shelter director. Between 80 percent and 90 percent of the clients are men from 18 through their 60s. And many are experiencing homelessness for the first time, she said. Recently the shelters received five families, but the agency has been able to get all except one into transitional housing.

The service and candle lighting are a reminder that homelessness is still a serious - and growing - problem in the Northwest suburbs and throughout the country, said Journeys personnel.