‘They’re people, they matter’: N.B. artist creates mural to honour those who died while homeless

Sabrina Robichaud has spent 10 of her 29 years homeless off and on.

She said the companionship she’s felt from other homeless Monctonians has helped her through the hard times.

“A lot of people judge us because of this and we’re living this life,” she said.

“So our relationships get stronger and stronger because that’s all we have is each other here.”

Robichaud has lost many of her homeless friends to drugs, crime and other various factors.

That’s why she decided to create a mural to memorialize them.

Artistic pursuits like drawing and writing have always been important to Robichaud.

In mid-April, she decided to use art markers on a black wooden fence to draw a large gravestone inscribed with more than 100 names of people she’s aware have died over the last 4 years.

“A lot of them are forgotten and they’re people, they matter,” Robichaud said.

The memorial is located on private property across the street from the Humanity Project, a non-profit that serves meals and provides other services for those in need.

Because of its location, there’s a lot of traffic from homeless people, and Robichaud said many have learned of their friends’ deaths by seeing their names on the mural.

“I’ve had a few people today look at that wall and say, ‘I didn’t even know they passed away,’ or family members not knowing they passed away because they’re on the streets. It’s not fair to them that they’re being forgotten,” Robichaud said.

Robichaud tracked down photos of some of the people by scouring obituaries and social media in order to put faces to the names.

It’s become a collaborative effort, with other homeless people drawing on the wall or leaving messages.

Some have even left messages detailing their whereabouts so no one worries that they may have died.

Jonah Gibson Eagles said the mural is important because it shows “respect and love to those who have passed.”

He said for him, it serves as an important reminder to take care of his health.

“It helps me a lot in my sobriety, it does,” he said.

John Renton, an advocate for the homeless population, said he thinks the mural “is a beautiful piece that needs to remain.”

He said that it was likely the mural would be painted over by the property owner at some point.

“It’s a shame, but it’s going to be immortalized, I mean the pictures are out there, it’s going to be a wonderful memory.”

He said he had he would like to see a permanent installation of the mural established somewhere in the city.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea to have a living, breathing memorial that can be expanded on if necessary,” he said.