Hundreds march to remember Minnesotans who died while homeless in 2022

Shelter manager Robert Hofmann was getting ready to march in a vigil to honor all Minnesotans who died while homeless in 2022, when something caught his eye and stunned him in the snowy parking lot of Plymouth Congregational Church.

Someone else was carrying a sign displaying the name of Harry "Eddie" Crevier, a 60-year-old who Hofmann bonded with before Crevier died while staying at the Simpson Housing shelter earlier this year.

"It's really emotional. I miss the dude and I can see his face clearly in my mind," Hofmann said while carrying a sign of someone else who died. "He was a really funny, enthusiastic guy, with piercing blue eyes."

Each time Hofmann sees the name of someone who passed who he knew or helped out, he said it triggers a strong reaction.

Hofmann described Crevier as "a really gentle guy" he knew on and off, someone who was always interested in getting to know others and would thank those who stopped to share a few minutes of conversation.

Crevier had previously dealt with heart issues and had gone through multiple surgeries, Hofmann said.

About 250 people participated Thursday night in the 38th annual Homeless Memorial March and Service, which each year consists of walking through Minneapolis with marchers holding up signs showing the names of every Minnesotan who died while either being homeless or previously homeless, and all the advocates who passed.

Many of the people marching said they work as homeless service providers, and that they enjoy the feeling of coming together in their field to remember those lost who otherwise often aren't given a formal sendoff.

"A lot of folks in our community don't get a dignified service of remembrance, so this is a chance for us to lift up people's names, and the memories of people that we know, and take some time to deliberately honor them," Hofmann said.

In 2022 there were 153 Minnesotans who died while homeless, 95 who died while previously homeless, and 20 advocates who passed, according to Simpson Housing Services, which provides shelter and support services.

The march was organized by Simpson Housing and the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless.

After starting at Plymouth Congregational, the crowd walked northwest on Groveland Avenue and circled around Loring Park before going into downtown and then heading back towards the church. Each sign had the name of the person, their age and their city of residence. A few cars driving by honked in support.

Several of the marchers said they were either homeless or previously were. Mike Bulau said he's currently in between housing, and that he thinks the march fills an important role by memorializing people who otherwise wouldn't be.

"Sometimes you don't hear from someone you know for a while, and then you find out they're dead," he said.

According to Simpson Housing, which tracks the number of homeless deaths in Minnesota each year, there was a decrease from 202 in 2021 to 153 in 2022, not including formerly homeless people.

Both years had more reported deaths than any of the previous three years, with 99 in 2018, 103 in 2019 and 85 in 2020. The organization estimates there are around 20,000 people currently experiencing homelessness in Minnesota.

After getting back and filing into the church, several gave speeches, including community volunteer Buffy Moore. She received housing assistance at Simpson 25 years ago before finding permanent housing and getting a job working for Hennepin County.

"These are the people who the majority of the world throws away," she said. "They don't see the value in these individuals, but I do."