Names of the Unhoused Dead Will Be Read During Church Memorial Service

All Saints Episcopal Church will hold its annual Memorial for the Unhoused on Monday, reading aloud the names of people who died on Pasadena’s streets in the past year and lighting a candle for each one.

The interfaith service, scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on February 23 at the church, draws people of multiple faiths and representatives of agencies that serve the unhoused, according to an announcement from All Saints.

Prayers, poems and personal reflections will be offered. A communal dinner follows in Sweetland Hall.

“Each year thousands of people experiencing homelessness die on the streets of our nation due to illness, exposure or violence, many from Pasadena, without the dignity and respect they deserve,” the church said in its announcement.

The memorial takes place amid persistent homelessness in Pasadena. The city’s 2025 Point In Time Count found 581 people experiencing homelessness, a 4% increase from the prior year, with 342 living unsheltered, according to the city’s Housing Department. Across Los Angeles County, 2,508 homeless individuals died in 2023, the most recent year of available data, according to the county Department of Public Health. Drug overdoses accounted for 45% of those deaths.

All Saints has a long history of serving unhoused residents. Union Station Homeless Services, a leading provider in the San Gabriel Valley, was founded by members of the church in the early 1970s. In 2020, the church launched its Safe Haven Bridge to Housing program, which shelters up to 12 unhoused individuals on its campus in partnership with Union Station.

The church also opened its doors to 180 Eaton Fire evacuees over two nights in January 2025, according to the Rev. Canon Susan Russell, an assisting priest at All Saints. Seventy-two families in the congregation lost their homes in the fire, Russell said.

A communal dinner follows the service in Sweetland Hall. Street parking is available nearby; metered spaces along Euclid Avenue and surrounding streets cost $1.25 per hour with a two-hour limit.

For more information, or to submit the name of someone who died while experiencing homelessness for acknowledgment during the service, call (626) 583-2726 or email MHayes@allsaints-pas.org or visit allsaints-pas.org.