PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Winter Solstice fell on Wednesday, Dec. 21, marking the longest day of the year. Each year on this day, communities across the country gathered to remember those who have died while homeless.
Holding the event on the Winter Solstice is meant to highlight the rough winter conditions that vulnerable residents experience. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who experience homelessness are more likely (compared to the general population) to suffer from substance abuse, mental illness, and chronic disease.
Portsmouth Homeless Action Consortium held a vigil at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21 outside the Oasis Social Ministry at 800 Williamsburg Avenue.
That's where News 3 found Patricia Kramer, a Navy veteran who became homeless several weeks ago. She had been renting a room in a house.
"Things just went so terribly wrong, and I ended up with no place," explained Kramer. "And these days, it’s expensive. It costs too much to even rent a room, and I'm on a very limited Social Security income."
The Executive Director for Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless says they're seeing more older clients.
"We’re definitely seeing an increase in individuals 62 and above," Darlene Washington stated. "We started to see this incline if you will in 2018 but it’s certainly gotten worse since COVID and it’s gotten worse post-COVID."
Washington said it's heartbreaking.
"If you have COPD, you have a little arthritis, you have diabetes, you have high blood pressure, and you’re trying to manage all that in addition to being homeless."
Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless offers a day center where men and women experiencing homelessness can take a shower, do laundry, and get connected with services. The organization has been working with the Portsmouth Sheriff's Office to provide an emergency overnight shelter at a different location for both men and women.
PVH relies on donations from the community. They could especially use monetary help and items like toiletries and laundry detergent. For more information, click here.
