![]() One support organization that is shown in the movie is a homeless shelter, The Crib, that is able to provide beds each night for 20 homeless children. Unless things have changed markedly since that time, I would assume that many children still go unidentified or under-served or encounter bureaucracy & individuals that are minimally caring and anything but selfless. Nearly 50 years ago I taught in an inner city school on the West Side of Chicago for 7 years. In fact most of the young people we encounter are outwardly happy and hopeful and the people offering support seem genuinely caring and selfless. The three students who are the "stars" of the movie are motivated, positive and optimistic despite their circumstances. One can only imagine how many others in similar situations remain unidentified or lost entirely to the schools. The Chicago Public Schools have 19,000 children registered as being in "temporary living situations," which is a euphemism for "homeless." We do see that the schools and individuals in those schools are making an amazing effort to deal with the problem, at least with those children who have been identified as in need. It was upbeat and positive in its approach, revealing the devastating problem that exists but not dwelling on the hopelessness and despair that must certainly confront many children left to fend for themselves and it show us the many good people who struggle to offer them support with limited resources. The production & presentation quality seem almost irrelevant against the overwhelming issues that are being addressed, but it is a high quality work in technical terms, focusing primarily on three high school age homeless students. The Homestretch is a documentary about homeless young people in Chicago.
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