Sonoma County is preparing for a solemn gathering on Thursday at the Arlene Francis Center in Santa Rosa, where the community will honor people who died while experiencing homelessness in 2025. The public memorial will run from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM and is open to anyone who wishes to pay their respects.
Event Details And Speakers
HomeFirst and the Sonoma County Department of Health Services are co-hosting the ceremony, which will feature speakers from county health services, HomeFirst and advocates with lived experience who will read the names of those lost, according to KSRO. The outlet reports the memorial will honor 43 people who died while experiencing homelessness between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30. Officials said those remembered ranged in age from 22 to 80, with an average age of 58.
County Data Shows A Drop In Homelessness
The county’s preliminary 2025 Point-in-Time Count recorded a 23% decrease in homelessness, with 1,952 people counted on Jan. 31, the lowest total since the count began in 2007, according to Sonoma County Department of Health Services. The same preliminary release shows that unsheltered numbers fell from 1,577 to 1,123, even as the number of families and people experiencing chronic homelessness rose in the tally.
Officials Caution Progress Is Fragile
Department of Health Services Director Nolan Sullivan said the memorial is both a chance to honor those who died and a moment to recommit to addressing homelessness.
Memorial Tradition And Local Reaction
The event is timed with National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day and continues an annual local tradition of reading the names of those who died. Last winter, the county and HomeFirst honored roughly 60 people at the same Santa Rosa venue, local coverage reported. Attendees at past services have included people with lived experience, service providers and family members, who say the ceremony both memorializes lives and refocuses attention on housing needs, according to The Press Democrat…