SCREENING IN THE BERNARD OSHER FOUNDATION AUDITORIUM
85 minutes (followed by panel discussion). Not Rated. Directed by Richard Kane. In English. DCP.
Followed by a discussion with Maine Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross, Cullen Ryan (Community Housing of Maine), Andrew Bove (Preble Street), and film producer Melody Lewis-Kane.
BUILDING HOPE: Ending Homelessness in Maine gives us hope that there is an end to the suffering of homelessness - if there is the will to make this happen. The stories are complex and hard to bear: the lack of affordable housing; substance use disorder; anxiety and depression; despair and lack of self esteem; domestic abuse; trauma; poverty; encampments; prison time; lost loved ones; brutal weather. How can this happen in “the richest country in the world?” This long U.S. reputation has brought throngs of asylum seekers escaping the fear of cartels and dictators, yearning to be free, hoping for a better life. This is what BUILDING HOPE is about even though it’s hard to even think that there is hope. But there is. We can all make a difference.
Sponsored by Downeast Community Partners, Maine Community Foundation, Blue Hill Congregational Church, UUCC Opportunity Fund, and United Way of Eastern Maine.