From PR Newswire:WASHINGTON -- On April 15, there will be a Capitol Hill briefing called "Honoring The Soloist - A Congressional Briefing on Homelessness and Mental Illness."
Author and award winning journalist Steve Lopez, Participant Media, Corporation for Supportive Housing, HELP USA, Lamp Community, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Alliance to End Homelessness and Project H.O.M.E. have joined forces to host the briefing.
The briefing is part of the social action campaign that Participant Media has created on behalf of the upcoming film The Soloist -- a national effort to raise awareness about and to help end chronic homelessness in the United States. The Soloist, a DreamWorks/Universal presentation in association with StudioCanal and Participant Media, will open in theaters April 24.
The briefing and luncheon will take place Wednesday, April 15 from 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (ET) at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in the South Congressional Meeting Room, Washington, DC. The program will focus on the issues of mental health and homelessness and the fight to end chronic homelessness.
The number of chronically homeless adults dropped by 28 percent between 2005 and 2007 largely due to the increase in permanent supportive housing. This proves that with proper resources the United States can end chronic homelessness. However, federal programs can and need to do more. It is not acceptable, regardless of a person's mental health, for anyone to experience homelessness and with proper support and treatment, housing stability can be achieved.
The Soloist tells the story of Nathaniel Ayers, a gifted musician living with schizophrenia while homeless in Los Angeles, and his friendship with Steve Lopez, a journalist for the Los Angeles Times and author of the book on which the movie is based. Their story illustrates how essential it is for people living with mental illness or who are homeless to have strong personal relations or connections. The person living on the corner is still a person and needs friendship and people who care about them.
Speakers at the April 15th afternoon briefing include:
-- Steve Lopez, LA Times journalist and best-selling author of 'The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship and the Redemptive Power of Music'
-- Steve Berg, Vice President of Policy and Programs, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC
-- Tom Hameline, Senior Vice President of Programs, HELP USA, New York, NY-- Casey Horan, Executive Director, Lamp Community, Los Angeles, CA
-- Hyacinth King, formerly homeless resident and board member, Project H.O.M.E.
-- Bob Carolla, Director of Media Relations, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Arlington, VA
-- Deborah DeSantis, President and CEO, Corporation for Supportive Housing, New York, NY
-- Sister Mary Scullion, Executive Director, Project H.O.M.E., Philadelphia, PA