/ Modified dec 18, 2015 1:18 p.m.

Remembering Tucson's Homeless on Winter Nights

On any given night, an estimated 5,000 people live on the streets of Pima County.

Homeless Homeless man on a cold day

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Friday Tucson will observe National Homeless Persons' Memorial day.

The event is intentionally near the winter solstice, Tuesday, Dec. 22, the longest night of the year.

"For people living out on the streets or living without a safe place to call home, that’s a really long cold night," said JoAnn Salazar, the Primavera Foundation's Chief Philanthropy Officer.

She said winter solstice is good opportunity for the community to think about the plight of those who will be on the streets as the temperature plunges.

The Primavera Foundation’s annual homeless memorial will commemorate people who succumbed to the cold or other died in other ways while living on the city's streets over the past year. It's also a chance to show solidarity with the city’s existing homeless population.

The service is open to the public and following speeches and readings, attendees will place flowers on a headstone in Potter’s Field, where people are buried when no one can afford their funeral.

The event will be held Friday at the Evergreen Cemetery from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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