About Homeland

This virtual cemetery honors the lives of those who died while homeless in Minnesota, starting in 2023. For too many of those individuals, there was no funeral, and their graves are unmarked. Homeland brings visibility to these individuals and celebrates their lives through memories that are posted and candles lit on their page.

Homeland was inspired by the annual Homeless Memorial March and Service, held in Minneapolis in December. During the silent march, each of us holds one or two signs on which is written the name and age of the deceased, as we walk through downtown Minneapolis. A long line of us then streams into Plymouth Congregational Church for the service where a candle is lit for each name read out loud. Participants are invited to approach the microphone and share a story about their experience with the deceased. Those stories humanize the list of over 100 names.

While the Homeless Memorial March and Service is deeply meaningful, it’s an event that lasts a few hours and fades from memory afterwards. Homeland keeps the candles lit for the individuals who died while homeless in Minnesota and the stories about them perpetual.