Nonprofit hosts vigil for lives of homeless individuals lost (VIDEO)

LORAIN — In the basement of St. Elizabeth's Center, 53 names rang out one by one. Read by nonprofit employees, the names were those of homeless or recently housed individuals who had died and were known to shelter staff. Some names conjured the ghosts of memorable individuals and gentle souls to pass through Wendy Dial's office doors through her work as program coordinator for entry. She remembered a woman who worked with coordinated entry and stayed at Haven Center — and had often told Dial she would not die in her car. She did not, Dial said. She died housed. "I carry a lot of memories of a lot of people," Dial said, looking around the Catholic homeless shelter's residents and community members who filled the community room Wednesday evening. "We do this work because we care. We're fighting for you guys because we care. "You're not alone — that was something we tried to express to every person on this list that came through our doors." Wednesday marked the county's vigil for homeless individuals lost in recent years. It was organized in part by Dial and Cassandra Marr, United Way of Greater Lorain County's continuum of care coordinator. It's a longstanding annual event held for those living in shelters, and the service providers who work with them. Marr, and later Lynn Wrice and Imam Paul Hasan, each prayed for the individuals in the shelter, for the community members around them and the individuals who serve them. United Way's Community Impact Director Christine Matusik-Plas remembered those who died on nights colder than Wednesday evening's — each a friend, daughter, son, brother, sister, mother or father. "We hold the service each year to honor those who have died and to advocate for those who are suffering among us," Matusik-Plas said. "We find it shameful that in this country with so much opportunity, we fail to care for the most vulnerable among us. As people of faith and as people of conscience, we believe we are called to show up in the broken places, the places of the deepest pain, suffering and sadness." She continued, "In those broken places, through our actions and words, we are here to say that because you are a person who is created in the image of God, you are not alone; you are valued; you are loved." Hasan implored those in the room to not give up hope, despite pending federal funding cuts. Food, clothing and shelter are human rights given by God, Hasan said, they are not privileges. "Hope is the only thing that we can grasp," Hasan said. "Hope is what they've done here, putting this program together. Hope is giving us their lives and their resources to help you (so) that you can see a better day." Catholic Charities Diocese of Cleveland operates St. Elizabeth Center and its accompanying emergency overnight shelter, which serves up to 50 adult men each night. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.