INDIANAPOLIS — Hundreds of people gathered at Roberts Park United Methodist Church downtown to remember and honor unhoused people who died in Marion County over the past year.
Mourners lit candles as the names of those who lost their lives were read aloud during the annual memorial service.
Advocates say the number of people who passed away in 2025 is higher than last year.
“That number is 135, and it’s much higher than last year,” said Niki Wattson with the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention, also known as CHIP. Wattson helped organize the memorial service.
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Wattson said the growing number highlights an urgent need for more affordable and accessible housing in Indianapolis.
“Housing. We need affordable housing so that we can work on housing stability,” Wattson said.
Garner Wireman has attended the memorial for the past three years.
“I honored and lit a candle for Jeff,” he said. “I didn’t know him, but he was one of the names over there, and that’s the one I chose.”
Wireman believes the event offers dignity to those lost.
“It’s just a way that if they didn’t have family, that we can remember the person,” he said.
Wattson said addressing homelessness requires a coordinated effort across the city.
“This needs to be a community response,” Wattson said. “We can’t do this without everybody doing it together.”
Advocates hope the memorial serves not only as a moment of remembrance but also as a call to action to prevent future deaths among Indianapolis’ unhoused population.
