The Homestretch is a documentary I first mentioned when I was still in the infant stages of writing Box of Rain. I was doubly excited about the news. First of all, and most importantly, the film calls attention to the overlooked and heartbreaking fact that many youth trying to make their way through the Chicago school system are also homeless. The film follows three youth as they struggle to stay in school.

The second reason, of course, is because that is the topic I address in Box of Rain.  Booker T worked hard to get a college scholarship, yet a macabre murder, combined with a tendency to judge a street kid by past prejudices, might make his efforts all for nothing.

I just found out that the documentary, which is available for special screenings and is being released in several locations, is going to be shown on the PBS show Independent Lens on April 13.  I highly recommend you find out what time the show will be on in your area an check it out.  In the meanwhile, click through to this article on the film to find out why you should watch it.

Think being a teenager was tough? Imagine going through that period without a steady roof over your head.

That’s the tale that unfolds in “The Homestretch,” a new documentary that examines the lives of three Chicago teens struggling to get a high school education while in what school administrators euphemistically call “temporary living situations.” Roque, Anthony and Kasey were among the more than 19,000 homeless students in the city’s public schools and an estimated 1.2 million homeless youth nationwide — a figure many advocates say is probably an undercount.

via Documentary on Homeless Teens in Chicago Aims to ‘Show the Struggle’ | Youth Today.