I am excited that the Kickstarter campaign to complete this documentary about three homeless teens has almost reached its goal, but with only 23 days left to go, I want to encourage you to consider contributing to what sounds like an eye-opening look at the struggles kids face on the streets of Chicago every day.  To contribute, please click here.

The Homestretch follows three homeless teens as they fight to stay in school, graduate, and build a future. Each of these ambitious teenagers – Kasey, Anthony and Roque – will surprise, inspire, and challenge audiences to rethink stereotypes of homelessness as they work to complete their education while facing the trauma of being alone and abandoned at an early age.

via The Homestretch (trailer) on Vimeo.

In a recent email from The Night Ministry, CEO & President Paul W. Hamman had this to say about the film:

The film is nearing completion!  We are very excited to work with the filmmakers Kirsten Kelly and Anne de Mare and everyone at Kartemquin as the film rolls out over the next year.

But first, Kelly and de Mare have launched a Kickstarter campaign to finish their fundraising so the film can be completed.  We hope that, in addition to your support of The Night Ministry, you can help them reach their goal.

We strongly believe in this film’s potential to raise awareness around youth homelessness and the work of The Night Ministry and our partner agencies in Chicago.

After viewing a nearly complete version of the film recently, Paul W. Hamann, President and CEO of The Night Ministry, said, “This film deftly, courageously, and respectfully illustrates the complexity of the issues that result in over one million young people experiencing homelessness every year in this country.”