The Northern Illinois Homeless Coalition will hold its annual memorial service for the homeless at 4:30 p.m. Dec.21 at Davis Park in downtown Rockford.  

The event is held each year on the day of the Winter Solstice to remember homeless individuals  in the northern Illinois region who have passed away during the previous year. This year, agencies have identified more than 25 homeless persons who died in 2021. The service will  include candle-lighting and the reading of the names of those who are being remembered.  

The Northern Illinois Homeless Coalition includes representation from agencies in Winnebago,  Boone and DeKalb Counties providing services to the homeless population and encourages  participation from other interested individuals and organizations and is recognized by the U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban Development as the decision making body for the  coordination of homeless programs in the region.  

The organization was created in 1987 by the late Rockford Mayor John McNamara as the  Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness to help form a coordinated approach to meet the growing  needs of the homeless in the local community and was recently expanded to include agencies and  individuals working in DeKalb County.  

More information about the mission and vision of the coalition and its member agencies is  available online, HERE.