Christian charities prepare annual service for victims of homelessness

Christian homelessness charities Housing Justice and the Connection at St Martin in the Fields have this week announced details of their service of commemoration for homeless people who have died in the past year.

The service has taken place annually for over 15 years, and this year will conclude by listing the people who have died homeless on the streets of London and other big cities in the past year.

According to Housing Justice, the deaths of almost 100 people were remembered in 2006.

Alison Gelder, Chief Executive of Housing Justice, commented: "All are welcome to come together at the service to reflect on the lives of those who have died homeless, and often in tragic circumstances, over the past year.

"In many cases this is the only time these lives will be remembered so it is especially important that these people's deaths are marked in this way."

Roger Shaljean from the Connection at St Martin's says "This service is so affective because it is like a family service. We commemorate homeless people known to us and also staff and volunteers from the different agencies who died in the past year."

Housing Justice is a Christian charity working to prevent homelessness and bad housing. It was formed in April 2003 by the merger of two long-standing housing charities, the Catholic Housing Aid Society (CHAS) and the Churches National Housing Coalition (CNHC).

In January 2006 Housing Justice merged with UNLEASH (Church Action on Homelessness in London).

The ecumenical service will take place on Thursday 8 November 2007 at St Martin in the Fields Church, Trafalgar Square, at 11:30am and will feature a performance by Streetwise Opera.