A memorial service honoring the homeless who have died in Santa Barbara will be held at 2:30 p.m. Monday at East Beach.

The service will be held on the grassy area near the East Beach restrooms across from the Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort, where Ross Stiles was beaten in February and later died of massive swelling of the brain after being transported to the hospital. Stiles was homeless, and his attackers have not yet been found.

Three ministers and a rabbi will speak, and a sculpture by Morris Bear honoring the homeless who have passed away will be displayed at the service.

Social worker Ken Williams said he’s hoping the sculpture can be displayed in a storefront window on lower State Street after the service so passers-by can appreciate the work.

It’s a collective effort between Casa Esperanza, Community Kitchen and the Greater Santa Barbara Clergy Association to memorialize those who have died.

Seventeen homeless people have died this year alone. Williams, who has helped organize the event, said that although the service is open to the public, its primary focus is to reach out to the homeless who have lost friends. 

Williams said there’s buzz on the street about the event, and many homeless are appreciative of the effort.

“We want the homeless to know that they don’t stand alone,” he said. “They feel like they’ve been under the gun so much.”

— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com.