Homelessness Awareness Day 2026: Remembering Those We’ve Lost

Photo Credit https://jasonduquette-hoffman.smugmug.com/

On Thursday, January 22, 2026, community members gathered in downtown Middlebury for Addison County Homelessness Awareness Day: Remembering Those We’ve Lost, a candlelight walk and vigil organized by the Addison County Housing Coalition (ACHC). The event took place in tandem with Homelessness Awareness Day gatherings happening across Vermont, offering space for reflection, remembrance, and community connection.
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This year’s Addison County gathering included a candlelight walk through town, culminating in a vigil at the Middlebury Town Green Gazebo, where attendees honored those in our community who have died while experiencing homelessness.

A Community Gathering at Triangle Park

I attended the vigil for the first time this year, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

A medium-sized group of people gathered together at Triangle Park in Middlebury, representatives from ACHC member organizations, along with members of the community, both housed and unhoused. We met at the busy corner of Academy and Main Street, taking time to catch up, collect LED candles, and pick up signs before the walk began.

Even before we started moving, it was clear that our presence mattered.
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As we stood together holding signs, people passing by in cars slowed down to read them. Then something powerful happened: drivers began honking their horns in support. The response was overwhelming. For a moment, we stayed there as a group, simply holding our signs and letting our community see us.

Walking Together in Silence

Photo Credit https://jasonduquette-hoffman.smugmug.com/

Before the walk, Heidi Lacey, Executive Director of the Charter House Coalition, offered opening remarks. She spoke about the way homelessness touches our communities more deeply than we often realize. How it affects friends, neighbors, family members, coworkers, and how urgent the need is for safe, stable, affordable housing here in Vermont.

Then we began our silent candlelight walk.

As the sun dipped low and the light faded, we walked down Main Street toward the gazebo on the Town Green. Many of us carried a candle in one hand and a sign in the other, moving slowly and quietly together. Even in silence, we were not invisible, cars continued to honk, and people looked on with a mix of curiosity, concern, and support.

Remembering Those We've Lost

When we arrived at the Town Green Gazebo, beautifully lit against the winter dusk, we gathered again for the vigil.

Heidi Lacey spoke once more, helping to guide the evening and keep us grounded in why we were there.
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Next, Rev. Johny Daigan Widell, representing the Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community, Vermont Cares, and the Turning Point Center of Addison County, led us through one of the most moving parts of the night: the reading of the names of community members who died while experiencing homelessness since the last Homelessness Awareness Day.

Each name was read aloud—one by one—to honor the individuals behind the statistics. At the end, we held a moment of silence to remember them.
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It was deeply emotional. It was also deeply necessary.

The Reality of Winter Without Housing

That night, the temperature wasn’t unbearable, but bitter cold and heavy snowfall were on the way, with frigid, record-breaking weather forecasted for the days ahead.

As I stood there, listening and holding my candle, I couldn’t help but think about what it would mean to face that kind of storm without a safe home. Without a warm room. Without a door that locks. Without a place to rest.

And that is the reality for too many people in Addison County.
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Homelessness isn’t something happening “somewhere else.” It’s here. It’s our neighbors. It’s our community members. It’s people we pass every day.

Holding Space and Holding Each Other

Following the vigil, we gathered together as a community to share warm drinks and connect. In such a heavy moment, the simple act of being together, sharing warmth, conversation, and presence, felt meaningful.
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Homelessness Awareness Day is about bearing witness, but it’s also about reminding ourselves that community care is real, and that we are not powerless.

About the Addison County Housing Coalition

This event was organized by the Addison County Housing Coalition (ACHC), a group of community organizations working together toward a shared goal: preventing homelessness, supporting people in crisis, and advocating for solutions that make stable housing possible in our region.

Addison Housing Works is proud to be a member of ACHC, alongside many other local partners committed to housing justice and community well-being.

Moving Forward Together

Homelessness Awareness Day is a moment of reflection, but it’s also a call to action.

To honor those we’ve lost, we must continue building a community where fewer people fall into homelessness, and where everyone has a fair chance at safe, stable housing.

If you’ve never attended a Homelessness Awareness Day vigil before, I encourage you to join next year. Show up. Walk with your neighbors. Hold a candle. Speak the names. Witness the reality—and the resilience—of our community.
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Because no one should be forgotten.