This week, we were invited to present @home at the Housing First Partners Conference in our hometown of Chicago. The conference is a foundational, national forum and dialogue for housing, health and mental health service providers, as well as federal, state and local government officials, researchers, advocates, trainers, peers and thought leaders engaged in ending homelessness through Housing First. 

After the lights came up, Director Susanne Suffredin started the discussion by sharing some experiences of making the film: “Something I heard over and over while making the film was, ‘don’t people want to be homeless?” The audience echoed that choosing to be homeless it is a common misperception and stereotype.  

The audience appreciated the approach of the film’s leading subject, Mark Horvath, who always asks the homeless people he interviews: “If you had three wishes, what would they be?” One audience member noted, “In all the films I’ve seen on homelessness, no one bothers to ask the homeless, ‘What are your wishes? What ambitions did you have, before you became homeless?’”  We hope that more people follow Mark’s example, and really listen to the experiences of our homeless friends and neighbors.

The audience was thankful for the film’s hopeful look at issues of homelessness, and said they would love to see more stories about people who successfully move on from being homeless. We’re very thankful for everyone’s thoughtful feedback and insights, and we are especially thankful to Pathways to Housing Founder, Sam Tsemberis, for sharing his voice in this project.

At the end of the discussion the group gathered for a photo to celebrate Mark Horvath’s birthday.