A still from Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine,” which will be shown at The Waldo Theatre on Sunday, April 19. (Photo courtesy Richard Kane)
On Sunday, April 19 at 2 p.m., all are invited to The Waldo Theatre to see the free film “Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine.”
Following the film will be a panel discussion moderated by producer Melody Lewis-Kane and featuring state Rep. Poppy Arford, D-Brunswick, a champion of affordable, stable housing; and Joseph Hufnagel, director of The Landing Place, a low-barrier, safe space for at-risk youth.
Directed by Richard Kane, “Building Hope” tells audiences there is hope to ending the suffering of homelessness. The film begins with the story of Aneyva, a 30-year-old woman with two children, a former early childhood educator with two college degrees. The COVID-19 pandemic caused her to lose her job, her home, and her children. She now lives in Bangor’s Tent City, homeless.
Amelia, an employed, hardworking contractor, suffered the trauma of domestic violence leading to her loss of housing. After two years of homelessness with her high school-aged daughter, she found the help of Homeworthy – formerly the Knox County Homeless Coalition – and now has a home, continues in her job, and has re-started her apothecary business.
James, whose grandmother found him a paper route, was making $100/week. His friends selling cocaine were making $400-$500 per day. The money was enticing. So he began delivering drugs, which led to being “popped by the cops.” He spent nearly 25 years in prison. Homeless when released, he found help with the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter. Now, with the help of the shelter, his navigator, and a government Section 8 voucher, he has an apartment in Bangor owned by Community Housing of Maine and a job at Chipotle.
“Building Hope” explores these stories and more of those caught in the daily crisis of homelessness. With the help of leading state advocates, many have risen above their circumstances to find housing and jobs and are becoming productive members of society. Others, due to chance, poverty, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, and substance use disorder, have yet to succeed.
Today, it is even more difficult due to the diminished availability of Section 8 housing vouchers and lack of federal assistance for Medicaid. The film explores the whys and hows society can heal the suffering.
Maine’s former Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross talks about her own vulnerabilities growing up, and, with the $30 million dollars that she has led the state Legislature to invest in affordable housing, there is hope.
U.S. Sen. Angus King addresses the inadequacies of minimum wage and the government tax incentive bills he cosponsors to give confidence to developers to create more affordable housing and emergency shelters.
Developers Collaborative’s Kevin Bunker, the force behind building Portland’s new Homeless Services Center and Asylum Seekers Center, talks about the root causes of inequality in our system. Preble Street’s Mark Swann laments over Portland’s sweeps of encampments, yet his hope “springs eternal.”
Community Housing of Maine’s former director, Cullen Ryan, makes crystal clear the damage that is done both to individuals without housing and to society as a whole.
A “voice from poverty,” Dr. Donna Beegle closes the film with the plea.
“There’s nothing that matches making a difference for your fellow human beings,” Beegle said. “Let me use what’s in my hands … to see if I can’t leave you in a better place.”
The Waldo Theatre will be collecting urgently needed supplies for Homeworthy, Midcoast Maine’s comprehensive homeless services organization, which serves thousands of individuals across Knox, Waldo, and Lincoln counties. Sleeping bags, tents, tarps, toiletries, and the like may be dropped off at the theatre Friday through Saturday. For more information, email info@thewaldotheatre.org or go to homeworthy.org/donate-goods-services.
The Waldo Theatre is located at 916 Main St. in Waldoboro.
For more information about the “Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine” on April 19, go to kanelewis.com/building-hope-homelessness. To watch trailer, go to kanelewis.com.
