The producers of the feature film No Address, a movie about a group of individuals who fall into homelessness, toured America to learn more about the epidemic before filming. The Robert Craig Films team embarked on this bus tour over a span of three weeks, visiting 20 major cities across 18 states to create the documentary Americans With No Address.
Homelessness has now expanded not only in urban areas but also in rural and suburban areas. As of 2023, in the United States alone, over 2.8 million people experienced homelessness, more than half of them were children. Trauma, mental health, substance abuse, lack of affordable housing, and economics are all factors for the drastic increase in homelessness in our country. Several scenes from the feature film No Address appear in the documentary, providing a narrative perspective of these various issues.
The documentary was produced with the hope that the bus tour would become a conduit for change, fostering compassion and inspiring action within every community touched. Each stop on the bus tour unveiled unique stories of individuals who navigated life without a physical address. They also interviewed those who were formerly homeless as well as those who are currently still struggling in it. They witnessed firsthand the unbreakable spirit that thrives in the face of adversity. This deepened their understanding of homelessness, its complexities and created more compassion for the lost.
With a direct effort to elevate the conversation on the topic, over 175 interviews were conducted. The team wanted to collect input from a diverse group of people from all sides of the political spectrum who were united on common ground to discuss these critical issues and concerns for our society. The team interviewed policy leaders, mission directors, clinical specialists, CEOs of national nonprofits, executive directors of local and regional nonprofits, influencers, those who have experienced homelessness, and those who are still struggling to overcome it. They also interviewed the current and past Executive Directors of the U.S Interagency Council on Homelessness in the Presidential Administration, the Commanders of Salvation Army, CEOs of large national organizations like Citygate Network and St. Vincent de Paul, and many other leaders and influencers in our country.
I was really intrigued by the Synopsis of this Documentary and I was very anxious to watch it. Homelessness is a VERY real issue in America. Americans who are fornuate enough to have a Home or Shelter seem to not know how vast the numbers who are Homeless are. I think it is important for so many to learn how deep the problem is so that resources and resolutions can be more vastly provided.
I really LOVE how the Film Producers traveled to so many different Cities in different areas of the Country. The film shows that Homelessness isn't isolated to just one area of the Country or just to the BIG cities, it is everywhere.
I myself live in the Chicagoland area and have seen the Homeless encampments and the "famous" Wacker Drive Homeless camp my whole life. I currently volunteer every Wednesday at a Food Pantry and we see a few clients on a weekly basis who are homeless. I wish I had the resources to help them further, but we do refer them to various local resources.
I HIGHLY recommend this film so that the message can be heard by many and that we can begin to work together as a Country to help the Homeless Community! Help is needed YEAR ROUND, not just when it is extremely cold or extremely hot! GREAT MOVIE!
Available on Prime Video for Streaming
Many thanks to Robert Craig Films for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.
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