Dozens gathered Saturday night — the longest night of the year — to memorialize the roughly 65 people who died on the streets in Long Beach this year.

The annual ceremony organized by the Long Beach Homeless Coalition is a somber reminder ahead of the joy of the holidays that many people have no home, or family and friends.

They are human beings, said Jamies Shuford, co-chair of the coalition: veterans, students, writers, producers and more. They were sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. They had an impact on lives and neighborhoods.

“They deserve to be remembered,” Shuford said.

The city did not get the final list of those who died on the streets in 2024, said Paul Duncan, director of Homeless services for the city. But those who came lit 65 candles after reading names of those who are known to have died.

The service in the chapel at Forest Lawn Cemetery is held each year on Dec. 21, the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year.

Jackie Beery exits Forest Lawn Memorial Park with a candle in hand after the Long Beach Homeless Memorial Service in Long Beach, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
Ann Wellman hugs Paige Pelonis after the Long Beach Homeless Memorial at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Long Beach, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
Izzy Matos, right, walks back to his pew after speaking at the Long Beach Homeless Memorial at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Long Beach, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. The Longest Night of the Year is to remember and celebrate the lives of those who have passed away this year while living without housing in Long Beach. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.