Bangor vigil honors homeless residents who have died
Dozens of people gathered at the Hope House shelter in Bangor on Wednesday to remember homeless residents who have died in the past year.
Participants at the annual vigil hung stars and angels on trees to remember those who died. Deaths among those who are homeless have been rising nationwide for years, and life expectancy for those without housing is substantially lower than for others.
This year’s vigil came at the end of a year when Bangor’s growing homeless population has grown and become more visible.
Shaun Marchando held a star commemorating his late Hope House bunkmate, Craig Stevens, who died recently. The Bangor Daily News featured Stevens in an October article about homeless residents in the city.
Bruce Hews, manager of operations and community affairs at the Hope House, said the annual vigil is important.
“It shows awareness to a problem that we have,” he said.