Sydney honours its forgotten as hundreds gather for Homeless Persons’ Memorial
Homelessness has long been invisible, but last week hundreds of people showed they’re paying attention.
The annual Homeless Persons’ Memorial, held on 21 June at Martin Place, drew one of the biggest turnouts the event has seen.
PAYCE Foundation Director Dominic Sullivan said the turnout reflected a shift in awareness.
“There’s a lot of invisibility with homelessness, but more people are starting to see it,” Mr Sullivan said.
Opening the service, Mr Sullivan said: “Tonight we gather in Martin Place, the centre of business and commerce. A place we normally associate with prosperity and privilege.
“But here we also witness the other extreme: fellow Sydneysiders who struggle every day to survive without food and shelter.”
St Vincent’s Health Australia National Director of Homelessness Erin Longbottom delivered the Remembrance Address drawing on her experience leading St Vincent’s Homeless Health Service outreach team.
“Homelessness is not just a housing issue. It is not just a healthcare issue. It is a health emergency,” Ms Longbottom said.
“People sleeping rough die, on average, 30 years younger than the general population. That statistic should shock us, because behind it is a difficult truth: as a society, we are failing our homeless community.”
St Vincent’s Health Australia National Director of Homelessness Erin Longbottom delivered the Remembrance Address at the 2026 Homeless Person’s Memorial.
Ms Longbottom paid particular tribute to Bikram Lama, a 32-year-old international student from Nepal whose body was found in Hyde Park in December 2025, six days after he died.
“His death is a heartbreaking example of what happens when people become invisible,” she said.
“We know what works to end homelessness. We are not lacking solutions. What we need is sustained investment, political courage, and a collective commitment to do what we know is right.”
The memorial also included lighting candles and reading the names of 28 people who had died while rough sleeping in the past year, read aloud by Catholic Cemeteries CEO Lauren Hardgrove.
“By speaking their names out loud tonight, we lift up their memory and ensure they have been known, respected, and loved,” Ms Hardgrove said.
The Sydney Street Choir, a long-time PAYCE Foundation partner, performed on the night, while Justice and Peace Office promoter Fr Peter Smith led the gathering in prayer, calling on those present to be “people of justice, people of peace, people of reconciliation.”
Among those present were NSW Minister for Homelessness Rose Jackson MLC, City of Sydney councillor Adam Worling, Bishop Emeritus Terence Brady, Jewish House CEO Rabbi Mendel Castell, and Imam Mahmoud Alazhari, alongside members of spiritual friendship group David’s Place and the Brown Nurses.
The event was supported by the PAYCE Foundation, Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria, Archdiocese of Sydney’s Justice and Peace Office, the St Vincent de Paul Society, and the End Street Sleeping Collaboration.
