Try these links to additional information about the "Longest Night" past and present

A Message to Churches and Other Faith-Based Organizations in Our Communities

Every year since 2014, Hope 4 Restoration has organized an event in Orange County called the "Longest Night" in recognition of National Homeless Persons Memorial Day held in places all over America on December 21st each year.

During this inter-faith event we honor the lives of people in our communities that passed away that year without healthy, safe, secure and permanent places to call home. In 2018, there were 244 of our neighbors and friends that lived and died on the streets of our county. They died at a rate of one 
nearly every 30 hours. If not for this event, almost none would be remembered at a funeral. There would be no grave marker or headstone for them. No flowers and no crowd would gather to hear a eulogy. No minister or priest would pray to God asking for mercy from heaven.

​Hope 4 Restoration and our partner in the "Longest Night" event, United Way of Orange County, believe that all lives matter and that persons experiencing homelessness should be treated as any other member of our communities, with dignity and respect. So we gather together to humbly mourn the loss of friends and neighbors but we do so with greater intent and purpose of raising awareness in our communities with one simple message. We can no longer tolerate as a society, watching people struggle with life while living on our streets and eventually dying there without proper care and help.
We know of the good works that many congregations are performing on behalf of homeless persons in our community, but this year we are asking that you participate with us and help us to promote a greater community awareness.

Here are some ways you can help:
  1. ​We would like to invite members of your congregation to attend our event the "Longest Night" on December 21, 2019. We ask that you place information about the event in your December newsletters. See all info here.
  2. Perhaps as a suggestion, the subject of homelessness could be discussed in a lesson, or sermon or during fellowship sometime in the weeks upcoming to the event.
  3. If you have a church website or can find use for our official animated banners in your newsletters, please find the banners available for download along with information about linking them below. If you experience problems please send an email here and we will send them to you.
  4. ​Please, if possible, place a message on your marquis or the message board in front of your church about Homeless Persons Memorial Day much like the one shown in the photo at the top of this page.
Please help us send a message to our communities
244 names were placed on our memorial wall last year.
How many more will we place there this year?
We believe that we can raise a greater community awareness regarding the tremendous loss of life during this ongoing homeless crisis and that with your help there is a better chance that lives will be saved. Perhaps the day will come when no person is left to die on the streets of Orange County ever again. If this can be accomplished, then we feel that no life lost to homelessness in the past, will be a life lost in vain.

​We would like to send thanks in advance for your consideration of the things we have asked and we appreciate your thoughts and prayers. If there are any questions we are happy to answer them here.
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