Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

PRESS RELEASE

MORE THAN 150 HOMELESS MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN DIED IN THE DENVER METROPOLITAN AREA IN 2009
These preventable tragedies underscore the vital need for housing and healthcare services

Denver, December 16, 2009 - For the twenty-fourth year, several hundred people are gathering on the steps of the Denver City and County Building at 5:30 p.m. to attend the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil.

Hosted by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, the candlelight vigil and name-reading ceremony pays tribute to 154 people who lived on the streets of the Denver metropolitan area and died during 2009. Mayor John Hickenlooper is joining in the vigil. This will be the only memorial service conducted for most of these individuals.

Of those being recognized, 38 were women, 116 were men; and they ranged in age from 3 months to 73 years old.  Causes of death include exposure, vehicular accidents, violence, but most frequently, illness due to chronic diseases. The inability to access appropriate healthcare services results in extremely high rates of disease. Homeless people experience illnesses at three to six times the rates experienced by housed people.

A common misconception about poor people is that they receive healthcare benefits from Medicaid. Unfortunately, federal rules generally prohibit single adults without young children from qualifying for Medicaid. Overall, the average life expectancy for Americans is almost 80 years of age; yet, for those that experience frequent homelessness, the probable life span is somewhere between 42 and 52 years.

“Health problems cause homelessness and homelessness causes health problems,” said John Parvensky, President of Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. “Homelessness complicates efforts to treat illness and people die unnecessarily. Each of these deaths could’ve been prevented with a stable home and access to quality and integrated healthcare services.”

The Institutes of Medicine reports that half of all personal bankruptcies in the United States result from health problems, and it is a short downhill slide from bankruptcy to eviction to homelessness. Moreover, some health conditions that are more prevalent among homeless people than in the general population – such as addictions, mental illnesses, and HIV/AIDS – are known to undermine the family and social supports that provide a safeguard against homelessness for many vulnerable people.

“We in Denver look forward to the day when there are no longer any names to read at this Vigil.  The Winter is a cold reminder of the fact that there is no good time to be homeless,” said Mayor Hickenlooper.  “We are urging the Denver community to continue to embrace the work of our homeless providers and Denver’s Road Home, our ten-year plan to end homelessness, and remain focused on housing, healthcare services and prevention to minimize the impact of preventable mortality in our community.”

People experiencing homelessness are mercilessly exposed to the elements, to violence, to communicable diseases, and to parasitic infestations. Circulatory, dermatological, and musculoskeletal problems are common results of excessive walking, standing, and sleeping sitting up. Homelessness and poor nutrition go hand-in-hand, increasing vulnerability to acute and chronic illnesses. Stresses associated with homelessness also reduce resistance to disease, account for the emergence of some mental illnesses, and enhance the false promises of relief offered by alcohol and drugs.

The healthcare delivery system is not well attuned to the realities of living without stable housing. Healthcare facilities often are located far from where homeless people stay, public transportation systems are insufficient or nonexistent in many places, and most homeless people don’t have cars. Clinic appointment systems are not easily negotiated by people without telephones, for whom other survival needs (finding food and shelter) may take priority. Standard treatment plans often require resources not available to homeless persons, such as places to obtain bed rest, refrigeration for medications, proper nutrition, or clean bandages.

Fortunately, for 24 years, the Coalition’s Stout Street Clinic has been an indispensable option for homeless individuals. There is never a charge for services. Fees might literally mean the difference between life and death. On average, 12,000 patients are served each year, but many more still need help, especially for mental healthcare services.

Although there is no official tracking of homeless deaths in Colorado, the Coalition conducts the count through a coordinated process involving more than 25 homeless service organizations, in the seven-county Denver metropolitan area, representing medical clinicians and other healthcare professionals; case managers; outreach and social workers; hospice, shelter and emergency service personnel; housing managers; chaplains; volunteers and others who provide direct assistance for those that are homeless.

The Vigil is held in conjunction with the National Coalition for the Homeless Campaign: National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day.  In 2008, over 100 communities participated in the campaign, spanning 38 states. The mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is to work collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the creation of lasting solutions for homeless and at-risk families, children, and individuals throughout Colorado. The Coalition advocates for and provides a continuum of housing and a variety of services to improve the health, well-being and stability of those it serves.  

Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil 2009 List of Names

Grover Anderson – Age Unknown
Tom Anderson – Age 46
Tina Applegate – Age 56
Bryan Armstrong – Age 53
Ronald Fred Atencio – Age 54
Judy Atkinson – Age Unknown
Marilyn Bakal – Age 72
Valerie Ballast – Age 25
Amy Banks – Age 39
Shane Barthel – Age 33
Thomas Beck – Age 40
William Bentz – Age 62
James Berry – Age 57
John “Elwood” Bienick – Age Unknown
Donna Blevins – Age 44
Michael Bochert – Age Unknown
Travis Bordelon – Age 34
Annette Boyle – Age 40
Joseph Bryant – Age 51
Mary Bueno – Age 51
Patricia Bush – Age 50
Geno Calabrese – Age 44
Joseph Calderon – Age 65
Roger Calhoun – Age 66
Mel Carpenter – Age Unknown
Tighe Chamberlain – Age 59
Carrie Chavez-Johnson – Age 48
Sandy Cowan – Age 48
Chantell Curry – Age 34
Danny Daily – Age 57
Jeff Davis – Age 42
Linn Decker – Age 46
Melissa Deeter – Age 46
Roberto Diaz DeLeon – Age 39
Mark Dorak – Age 40
Adam Earley – Age 20
Tina Edwards – Age 50
Amory Feltes – Age Unknown
Erick Bradley Ferguson – Age 38
Carrie Fillis – Age 49
Beverly Fry – Age 74
Paul Garcia – Age 37
Ronald Garcia – Age 46
John Gardner – Age 62
Alfonso George – Age Unknown
Nancy Gilmore – Age Unknown
Patrick Gleason – Age 28
Judith Goering – Age 56
Miguel Ruiz Gomez – Age 50
Tomas Gomez – Age Unknown
Alfonso Gonzalez – Age 23
Gustave Gourdin – Age 48
Bob Grau – Age 48
Dale Gustave – Age Unknown
Frederick Hammer – Age 52
Michael Hannon – Age 55
Kenneth Harlan – Age 56
Coraletta Harris – Age Unknown
Roger Harris – Age Unknown
Rene Hickey – Age Unknown
Carlos Higuera-Rubio – Age 72
Geoff Hitchcock – Age 57
Janet Hodgson – Age 52
Brandon Howse – Age 27
Ricky Lee Iko – Age 48
Herschel Johnson – Age Unknown
Richard Allen Johnson – Age 55
Russ Johnson – Age 55
Mark Keener – Age 51
Ryan Keith – Age 59
Jon Kemp – Age 41
Nick Kidwell – Age Unknown
Michael Klasen – Age 51
Steve Komives – Age 57
Christopher Kvien – Age 33
Michael Ray Lambert – Age 56
Reginal Lankster – Age 55
Sarah Lawler – Age Unknown
Suki Lay – Age Unknown
Gary Lee Lewis – Age 55
Dreja’nae McHenry – Age 3 months
Mary McKinney – Age Unknown
Matt Maez – Age 18
Daniel Marquez – Age Unknown
David Marquez – Age 42
Ranette Marquez – Age 56
Richard “Leslie” Martin – Age Unknown
Joe Martinez – Age 51
Jerome Massey – Age 57
Roger May – Age Unknown
William Means – Age 44
William Meeks – Age Unknown
Robert Miner – Age 68
David Moeller – Age 45
Ron Mondragon – Age 51
Mark Murphey – Age Unknown
Ronnie Lee Neely – Age 48
Dennis Nelson – Age Unknown
David Nevill – Age 52
Grady Nicholson – Age 57
Stephanie Nickson – Age 41
Tracy Oppenheimer – Age Unknown
Manuel Pacheco – Age Unknown
Nathaniel Passarello – Age 26
Valerie “Allie” Perea – Age Unknown
Steve Pitman – Age 54
Mike Radtke – Age 46
Lisa Ragsdale – Age 47
Christopher Razze – Age 35
Melissa Rea – Age Unknown
Henry Renfrow – Age 40
Delayne Richard – Age Unknown
Johnny Rivera – Age Unknown
Lettimae Robertson – Age 52
Russell Robey – Age 60
Richard Rondeau – Age 53
Theodore Rueda – Age 30
Keith Ryan – Age 58
Reyes Salazar – Age Unknown
Armond Serracino – Age 45
Art Sena – Age 73
Marvin Shappart – Age 45
Daud Shah – Age 33
Robert Sheneman, Jr. – Age 42
Matthew Shoop – Age 28
Logan Sisson – Age Unknown
Edward Smith – Age 61
Jake Smith – Age 41
Lee Smith, Jr. – Age Unknown
Rickey Ray Smith – Age 54
Thomas Smith – Age 61
Andrew Sosis – Age 31
Michelle Sterud – Age 57
Daniel Stewart – Age 45
John Stone – Age 50
Henry Summers – Age 63
Kurt Swann – Age Unknown
Louise Taylor-Davis – Age 54
Kenneth Thigpen – Age Unknown
Curtis Thomas – Age Unknown
Joseph Torres – Age 47
Anthony Valdez – Age 60
Eddie Valdez – Age Unknown
Patrick Valdez – Age Unknown
Glen Vavarek – Age Unknown
Reggie Verge – Age 53
Silvia Vigil – Age 51
Lanny Waldon – Age Unknown
Jerry Wesland – Age 56
Dana White Calf – Age 34
David Wilson – Age 61
Gerald Wingerter – Age 53
Norman Wright – Age 46
King “Kennie” Yazzie – Age 69

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