BUILDING HOPE
a film by Richard Kane and Melody Lewis-Kane
One of the worst societal traumas of this century “BUILDING HOPE: Ending Homelessness” puts a face on those experiencing homelessness and tells us it could happen to anyone. But there is hope. We can all make a difference.
"... it really nailed down all of the complexities of the unhoused, and the variety of solutions, told with the powerful honesty of individuals." Allison Hepler, Maine legislator
“… told with compassionate honesty” Jane Field, Maine Council of Churches
“…Full of dignity and community.” Alison Lovejoy, Preble Street
“… a moving, informative, and inspiring documentary.” Bonnie Tai, professor College of the Atlantic
“… a powerful film that explains … the mental, physical and economic costs … (to) each of us.” Betsey Harding, community member
Fiscally Sponsored by Downeast Community Partners, a 501(c)(3). Please consider a tax deductible donation to expand the distribution of BUILDING HOPE. Currently scheduled to screen at 14 theaters (see below). 28 more communities are requesting screenings with local community expert panel discussions. We are ending the screening series after our screening to the Maine Legislature April 22nd (details below). Please attend one of our screenings and help inform the public of the plight of those experiencing homelessness and learn about solutions.
We need financial assistance to get this message out to thousands of people. To date, we have had 15 screenings reaching 1000 viewers. Maine Public is requesting an hour version for broadcast this year. There are 30+ requests from communities across this State and others. Please donate to our 501(c)(3) not for profit sponsor Downeast Community Partners by clicking below:
photo by Gerald Campbell with permission
Synopsis:
BUILDING HOPE brings to audiences around Maine and beyond that 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 pandemic caused her to lose her job, her home, and her children and she now lives in Bangor’s Tent City, homeless.
“I’d just like to know how people can kick the homeless out of being homeless?” Aneyva, Bangor Tent City
Joseph Hufnagel, Melody Lewis-Kane, Chrys deLorimier, Strand Theatre, Rockland, Maine December 13, 2024
Strand audience of 220 December 13, 2024, Rockland, ME
Amelia, an employed, hard working 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 dealing drugs were making $4-500/day. So he went to work delivering which led him to being “popped” by the cops. He spent nearly 25 years in prison. Homeless when released he found help with a Housing Navigator from the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter. Now, with the help of a government Section 8 voucher, he has an apartment owned by Community Housing of Maine (CHOM) in Bangor and a job at Chipotle.
“We’re right on the precipice of having unsheltered homelessness become the norm… we are really taking a step further away from a civilized society.” Cullen Ryan, Community Housing of Maine
BUILDING HOPE explores these stories and more of those caught in the daily crisis of homelessness. With the help of respected state advocates, many have risen above their circumstances to find housing and jobs and are becoming productive members of society. Others, due to mental illness and substance use disorder, have yet to succeed.
Today, it is even more difficult due to the dearth of affordable housing and the influx of asylum seekers taking up so many of the beds at our cities’ shelters. The film explores the whys and the hows our society can heal the suffering. Maine’s Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross talks about her own vulnerabilities growing up, and now the $100 million dollars that she has led the state to invest in affordable housing. Maine Independent Senator Angus King addresses the inadequacies of our minimum wage and the government tax incentive bills he co-sponsors to give confidence to developers to create affordable housing and emergency shelters. Developer Kevin Bunker, the force behind building Portland’s new Homeless Services Center and the new Asylum Seekers Center, talks about the root causes of inequality in our system.
Preble Street’s Mark Swann laments over his City’s sweeps of encampments, yet his hope “springs eternal.” Community Housing of Maine’s Cullen Ryan makes crystal clear the damage that is done both to individuals without housing and to our society as a whole.
“I think the average person needs to get informed, not just get angry that there are encampments, but get angry that we’re in a society where that’s OK.”
Mark Swann, Preble Street
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. … Let me use what’s in my hands … to see if I can’t leave you in a better place.”
“We’re spending billions on the symptoms of poverty. We could invest in kids, we could invest in adults and save money.” Dr. Donna Beegle, Poverty and Coaching Institute
Learn what we can each do to make a difference. There is hope.
“Having personal experience of the challenges of staying in a home … whether you’re trying to pay the utility bill, or your rent.” Rachel Talbot Ross, Maine Speaker of the House
“There’s not a single county in the United States where a person making the minimum wage can afford a two bedroom apartment.” U.S. Senator Angus King
Portland Museum of Art December 14, 2024
SCREENING SCHEDULE:
• April 2, 2025, 2:45, Presumpscot Elementary School/Foundation for Portland Public Schools, Panel: Cullen Ryan, director of Community Housing of Maine, others TBA
• April 9, 2025, 6pm, Eastern Maine Community College, Rangeley Hall, 268 Sylvan Road, Bangor, FREE, Panel: Lisa Davis, Program Manager for Housing and Energy Services, Penquis Community Action Program; Boyd A. Kronholm, LSW, Executive Director, Bangor Area Homeless Shelter; James Raines, formerly homeless; Elizabeth True, Eastern Maine Community College, Vice President and Dean of Students (Moderator); and student Reighan, M. Sponsored by Hearts of Maine United Way.
• April 10, 2025, 6:45pm, Maine Film Center, 93 Main St, Waterville, ME, FREE, Sponsored by Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter & Services, Panel: Dr. Katie Spencer White, President & CEO Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter & Services (Moderator); others TBA
• April 11, 2025, 7pm, Center Theater for the Performing Arts (redux), FREE, 20 East Main St. in Dover-Foxcroft. Panel TBA•
• April 15, 2025, 6:30pm (doors 5:45pm), Colonial Theater, 163 High St, Belfast, ME, FREE, Panel: moderated by Melody Lewis-Kane, film producer; Barbara Gage, Board Member of But Still I Am One which provides financial support to homeless youth; Kathy Muzzy, Chair of Midcoast Maine Homeless Coalition; Shannon Shimer, Assistant Director of Social Services at Homeworthy; others TBA
• April 16, 2025, 6:30pm, Center for Human Ecology, Room 102 (College of the Atlantic), FREE, 105 Eden StreetBar Harbor, ME; Panel: Dr. Katie Spencer White, Pres/CEO Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter & Services; Leslie Linder, Child Protective Liaison/Community Educator Next Step Domestic Violence Project; Melody Lewis-Kane, film producer; Tracey Hair, former director of H.O.M.E., Inc.; and Maine Representative Gary Friedmann.
• April 22, 2025, 11:30am Maine State House, Augusta Legislative Council Chamber Room 334. Seating priority given to legislators. Panel discussion to follow with: Cullen Ryan, director of Community Housing of Maine; Greg Payne, Governor Mills’ Senior Advisor Housing Policy; and TBA
• May 20, 2025, 10:30am-11:45, Maine Philanthropy Center Conference “Pathways to Action: Equitable Solutions for a Vibrant Maine”, Augusta, ME, Panel includes: Cullen Ryan, director of Community Housing of Maine; Greg Payne, Governor Mills’ Senior Advisor Housing Policy; and TBA
• December 11, 2024 5:30, POSTPONED due to weather. To be re-scheduled. Berwick Public Library, 103 Old Pine Hill Rd, Berwick, ME, FREE. Panel discussion to follow: Moderator: Veronica Ulery LICSW MLADC - substance abuse/addictions; Susan Austin, Director of the Ryan House Project (teen homeless shelter); Maine Senator Joe Rafferty; Wendy Anders, mental health, drug and rehab counselor, Senior Director, Sweetser; Noel Bonam, Maine Housing Board of Commissioners, Maine State Director AARP; Dean Klein - Executive Director of Continuum of Care Maine.
• Other locations in Maine TBA including: Machias; Belfast; Waldoboro; Bar Harbor; Farmington; Winterport; Bethel; Waterville; Brunswick, others.
• If you would like to have this film screened in your community, please contact us at kanelewisproductions@gmail.com
• Setting up free screenings at theaters, churches, libraries, and colleges.
PAST Screenings:
• March 21, 2025, Carrabassett Valley Public Library, 3209 Carrabassett Dr Ste 3, Carrabassett Valley, ME, FREE; Panel: moderated by Richard Kane, film director; Representative Stephan Bunker; Emily Richards, Homeless Response System: Hub 5 Coordinator; others TBA. Sponsored by Carrabassett Valley Public Library.
• March 12, 2025, 6pm, St. Philip Lutheran Church, 7531 S Kendall Blvd Littleton, CO 80128, FREE, Panel: Kathryn Roy, Executive Director of Love INC; Deputy Nick Hassman, Douglas County Sheriff; Anne Husted, Denver Housing Authority; moderated by Melody Lewis-Kane, film producer.
• February 24, 2025, 6pm, Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta, ME, FREE, Panel: Panel following the free screening – Moderated by Producer Melody Lewis-Kane, with special guests: Laura Graziano lgraziano@lcrpc.org (Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission); Rob Nelson rnelson@ecologicaldev.com, affordable housing developer; Cullen Ryan cullen@chomhousing.org (director, Community Housing of Maine); and State Representative Holly Stover, Appropriations Committee.
• February 12, 2025, 5-7pm, Curtis Memorial Library, FREE, 23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick, ME, sponsored by Tedford Housing, Panel: Mercedes Debowey, Brunswick Winter Warming Center Manager; Rep. Allison Hepler, Maine State Representative; Debora Keller, Exec. Director, Bath Housing; Julie Kselman, Housing Coordinator, Bath Housing.
• February 8, 2025, Women’s Spiritual Retreat, Ipswich, MA
• February 4, 2025, Noon-2pm, AngleZ Behavioral Health Services, Staff Screening, 841 Riverside Drive, Augusta, ME
• January 19, 2025, 3-5pm, First United Methodist Church of Bangor, FREE, 703 Essex St, Bangor, ME, Panel: Jamie Beck of Dignity First; Scott Pardy, founder of Fresh Start Sober Living; James Raines, incarcerated 25 years, on road to recovery; Joshua Kauppila, Program Director of the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine; and Melody Lewis-Kane, the film's producer. Film director Richard Kane will introduce the film. Sponsored by Faith Linking in Action.
• January 19, 2025, 3pm, Center Theater for the Performing Arts, FREE, 20 East Main St. in Dover-Foxcroft. Panel: Jennifer Weatherbee Lolar, Homeless Response Service Hub Coordinator, Hub 7 (Penobscot/Piscataquis Counties); Michelle Osterman, Michelle Osterman BSW, MHRT/CSP; Mobile Outreach, CRISIS - Community Health and Counseling Services; Kelly Sirimouglu, Executive Director, Piscataquis Regional Food Center; Jennifer Dunton, Director, Homeless Host Homes/ PENQUIS, jdunton@penquis.org
• January 5, 2025 3pm First Congregational Church of Blue Hill, FREE 22 Tenney Hill, Blue Hill, ME. FREE. Panel discussion to follow: Rep. Nina Milliken; Anne Schroth, director of Healthy Peninsula; Jessica Valdez, director of Community Compass; Rosa Moore, Executive Director, H.O.M.E, Inc.; Melody Lewis-Kane, the film’s producer.
• December 14, 2024 3pm Portland Museum of Art. FREE. Panel includes: Victoria Morales (Exec Director of Quality Housing Coalition), former legislator; Cullen Ryan, director Community Housing of Maine; Andrew Bove, LCSW, Preble Street’s Vice President of Social Work; Melody Lewis-Kane, Building Hope film producer. Sponsored by Community Housing of Maine, Quality Housing Coalition, Portland Museum of Art, and Preble Street.
• December 13, 2024 5:30pm Strand Theatre, Rockland. FREE (due to the generosity of a donor). Panel includes: Joseph Hufnagel, director The Landing Place; Molly Feeney, Executive Director, Homeworthy; Rep. Valli Geiger; Melody Lewis-Kane, the film’s producer. Sponsored by Homeworthy, The Landing Place, Strand Theatre.
• December 7, 2024 3pm, Unitarian Universalist Church of Ellsworth, FREE 121 Bucksport Rd, Ellsworth, ME 04605. FREE. Hosted by UU Church Ellsworth Reverend Sara Hayman. Panel discussion to follow: Rota Knott, CEO, Downeast Community Partners; Dr. Elizabeth True, Vice President of Student Affairs at Eastern Maine Community College; Tracey Hair, former director of H.O.M.E.; Mark Worth, Maine legislator, former minister at UUCE; and Melody Lewis-Kane, BUILDING HOPE film producer. Sponsored by Families First, Downeast Community Partners, and UUCE.
• November 2, 2024 6pm Boreal Theater, 215 Penobscot Ave, Millinocket, ME 04462 (207) 560-5256. FREE Sponsors Katahdin Collaborative +TBA. Panel discussion will follow screening.
• September 19, 2024 6:30pm Alamo Theatre, Bucksport, Maine FREE. Panel includes: Tracey Hair, former director of H.O.M.E; Dr. Katie Spencer White, President & CEO of Midmaine Homeless Shelter & Services; Rep. Ron Russell, Maine Legislature on the Housing Committee; and Melody Lewis-Kane, “Building Hope” film producer. Donations accepted for continued distribution.
• June 29, 2024 4-6pm, Preview, UU Congregation of Castine, FREE. Panel includes: Cullen Ryan, director of Community Housing of Maine; Tracey Hair, former director of H.O.M.E.; Katie Spencer White, President & CEO Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter & Services; James Raines, formerly homeless; Melody Lewis-Kane, film producer
• May 2, 2024, Zoom Preview, sponsored by Maine Council of Churches
REVIEW:
The new documentary film, BUILDING HOPE, brings a compelling message to audiences around Maine and beyond: there is hope for ending the suffering of homelessness. Jane Field, Executive Director of Maine Council of Churches
BUILDING HOPE tells these stories with compassionate honesty, acknowledging how hard it is to imagine there could be hope amid so much trauma and against seemingly insurmountable odds. But there is hope, the film boldly asserts. As the title suggests, the film introduces us to individuals who find the courage to build hope and make a difference. Their examples inspire viewers to believe that we can all make a difference. We can all build hope.
MAJOR SUPPORTERS:
The Opportunity Fund of the UU Congregation of Castine , Downeast Community Partners (Fiscal Sponsor), WERU 89.9 Community Radio (Media Sponsor), Maine Community Foundation, First Congregational Church of Blue Hill, Heart of Maine United Way, Noel Paul Stookey for his song “In These Times”, and for the support of many individuals.
PRESS
• WERU “Talk of the Town”, February 12, 2025, 4-5pm featuring: Tracey Hair, former director of H.O.M.E., Inc.; Melody Lewis-Kane, producer of BUILDING HOPE; and Cullen Ryan, director of Community Housing of Maine. Interviewed by WERU’s hosts Liz Graves and Ron Beard.
• Bangor Daily News, December 26, 2024, BDN Opinion Contributor
• Ellsworth American, December 13, 2024, Letter to the Editor
• Newscenter Maine 207 story first aired September 18, 2024, rebroadcast December 11, 2024
https://www.newscentermaine.com/search?q=Building+Hope
• Weekly Sentinel, December 6, 2024, page 19
http://www.theweeklysentinel.com/
• Front page article in the BDN, June 28, 2024:
RESOURCES:
Expert Panelists who lead discussions post screenings include: Cullen Ryan, director Community Housing of Maine; Tracey Hair, former director of H.O.M.E, Inc.; Dr. Katie Spencer White, Pres. and CEO of Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter & Services; Rep. Ron Russell, former Maine Legislator from Bucksport, Housing Committee; Joseph Hufnagel, director of The Landing Place; Rota Knott, Executive Director, Downeast Community Partners, others TBA
Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick, ME, February 12, 2025, sponsored by Tedford Housing (stay tuned for a redux!)