DISCUSSION GUIDE
11/12/2015
For ‘Time Out of Mind’
Discussion Guide
THE GUIDE
Movies bring people together. Not only can they captivate and inspire, but they can educate and spark change by
raising awareness. The new film, ‘Time Out of Mind’ is a rich and very real story about chronic homelessness and
the perfect vehicle for initiating a discussion, in your community, about this very important social issue.
To that end, The National Alliance to End Homelessness has crafted this brief guide to support meaningful
discussions on this film’s impactful depiction of life on the streets, engage your community and put forward a call
to action that can lead to awareness and positive change.
Read this guide prior to your screening or event in order to find relevant facts or information appropriate for your
audience, or for help planning your event.
In This Guide You Will Find:
 Background information on the movie and outreach campaign
 Tips for how to host a movie screening
 Post-film discussion questions that will help broaden the understanding of its central issues
 Resource links for further learning
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Discussion Guide
BACKGROUND & RESOURCES
“The message is not a normal
message, it’s just about
connection. At the center of the
movie is a very universal sense of
yearning—for place, fixing
mistakes, moving toward love.
That’s what I wanted to portray.
The only place he’s moving
toward is this beacon of his
daughter. You can’t stop
homelessness with money. Money
helps but that’s not the big part of
it. If you can bring them back onto
the human grid, then there are
[social] resources that are
extraordinary, and then good
things can happen.”
– Richard Gere, Wall Street
Journal, September 1
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‘Time Out of Mind’ is a film by Richard Gere and Director Oren Moverman about George, a man without a
home, recently evicted from his squat and suddenly alone on the streets. While he struggles with his
demons and desperately trying to connect with the daughter he abandoned, he navigates the system,
hustling for change and somewhere safe and quiet to gather his thoughts. But the streets are relentless
and soon, George finds himself teetering on the edge, alone and abandoned.
o
Watch the film trailer starring Richard Gere, Ben Vereen and Jena Malone.
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‘Time Out of Mind’ is available through iTunes and On Demand (via your cable company) until
mid-December.
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If you wish to arrange a public screening of the film, the producers of ‘Time Out of Mind’ have
negotiated a significantly reduced rate ($100) for a special Blu-Ray DVD copy of the film that
includes a special video introduction by Richard Gere. This rate applies to any screening for a
crowd up to 200 people. To obtain a copy, please contact: Swank Motion Pictures, Attn: Tiffany
Greenwood at [email protected] or (800) 876-5577.
Discussion Guide
Post-Screening Questions for Discussion
To Stimulate Interest:
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When was the first time you realized homelessness existed?
Have you ever encountered a ‘George’ on the street? How did you react? How did your interaction (or
lack of interaction) make you feel?
Did anything that happened in this movie remind you of something that has occurred in your own life or
that you have seen occur to others?
What were you thinking as you finished watching the film?
What part of the story told by the movie was the most powerful? Why?
If you had a chance to ask a character in this movie a question, what would it be?
What feelings did you share with any of the characters in the movie?
Did you come to respect any of the characters in this movie? Who was it and why did you come to
respect that character?
To Rouse Empathy:
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What was the strongest emotion that you felt when watching the film?
What is the problem that needs to be solved, as presented by this movie?
Depth of feeling is what makes a film worth watching. Of the many feelings expressed in the film, with
which are you most familiar?
Is there a lesson to be learned from this movie?
Action & Advocacy:
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Did watching the film encourage you to take action? If so, what are you planning to do? If not, what
barriers are preventing you from doing something?
Who do you think would benefit from seeing this film? What can you do to try and get them to see it?
Would you recommend this movie to a friend? Explain your reasons.
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Discussion Guide
HOW TO HOST A SCREENING
Hosting a movie screening and a discussion is a terrific way to introduce people to a social issue like
homelessness. It doesn’t matter if you hold it in a theater, your living room or a church basement. What does
matter is that you have the opportunity to educate, answer questions and talk about what people can do to help
end homelessness.
Here are a few basic steps and considerations for hosting a movie screening:
Make it Relevant – It’s important to connect the dots so that the people in your community understand the
issue of homelessness as it relates to them and their daily life. Invite a guest speaker who can give that context
(such as someone in your organization, people who have experienced homelessness, or someone who leads
your community’s plan to end homelessness).
Encourage Discussion – ‘Time Out of Mind’ is rich with themes for discussion. Give people time to let it
sink in (right after the movie would be a good time for a refreshment break!) and then open the discussion with
some high-level questions to encourage interest (see Suggested Questions for Discussion). If the group is too
large, consider breaking into small groups for more personal, in-depth discussion.
Leave Them With a Call to Action – It’s common to leave certain movie’s feeling motivated and
inspired to act. Don’t waste that opportunity! Come up with at least three concrete ‘Calls to Action’ that your
audience can take to affect change. It can be as simple as ‘Volunteer’ or ‘Sign this Pledge’. We’ve provided two
examples of how people can advocate on behalf of chronically homeless people.
Don’t Forget Social Media – There’s true powerful to social networking, so use it! Encourage people to
share their reactions to the film on their social channels. Designate a specific hashtags and handles (e.g.
#endhomelessness) so you can easily see and reference the conversation. Don’t forget to engage on your own
social media channels to keep the conversation going well after the event.
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Discussion Guide
CALL TO ACTION
RESTORE FUNDS TO PATH PROGRAM SERVING
HOMELESS PERSONS WITH SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS
The “PATH” program or Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness is a grant to states. These funds
support outreach, mental health services and housing supports for homeless persons with serious mental illness,
often who also have co-occurring substance use disorders.
The U.S. Senate and House are proposing large cuts to this program. The Senate is proposing a $25 million cut,
which is 38% of the program and the House is proposing a $10 million cut.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How much of an impact would these cuts have?
Answer: The PATH program serves up to over 185,000 homeless people per year. A cut of 38% would mean
more than 70,000 vulnerable people will not get served. It may even be enough of a cut that some states may not
get funds at all.
Question: Will this affect programs in my community?
Answer: PATH programs exist in every state and often work hand in hand with other homeless service providers
to make sure people with severe mental illness are identified and getting the services they need. Without this
resource many communities may not be reaching the most vulnerable homeless persons.
Question: How do we know if this program is working?
Answer: PATH programs help communities implement a ‘Housing First’ approach, which helps vulnerable people
into supportive housing. Supportive housing saves communities a lot of money in reduced jail time, emergency
room visits, and police and ambulance calls.
Question: So what can I do?
Answer: The best thing for people to do is to contact their Senators and House Representatives and tell them
about the good work that this program does and to restore the funding for this program and other SAMHSA
homeless programs. You can contact the National Alliance to End Homelessness for more information on how to
lobby your representatives.
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Discussion Guide
CALL TO ACTION
END CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS
WHAT CAN THE REST OF US DO?
Ever wonder what to do when you pass someone on the street that is homeless? Perhaps they have a mental
illness, substance abuse problem, or are disabled? There is something very simple you can do to help; educate
yourself and your elected representatives. There are a lot of myths about homelessness. Check out the facts.
MYTHS AND FACTS
MYTH: The people you see on the street make up the majority of the homeless population.
FACT: The people you see on the street actually make up less than 15 percent of the total homeless population.
These individuals experience what is called “chronic homelessness”, or long term homelessness, and are usually
disabled in some way. Because they are living on the streets or in shelter for long periods of time they are more
vulnerable and therefore consume the majority of the resources dedicated to helping the homeless.
MYTH: People who are homeless and use drugs are not going to stay in housing.
FACT: The majority of people with substance use disorders that are placed in housing actually remain housed for
long periods of time. In general, around 70 percent of those housed wind up staying housed.
MYTH: There will always be homeless people on the street, right?
FACT: No. The solution is simple and it works. It’s called supportive housing and it saves communities money as
well as helps people get off the streets.
MYTH: It would cost way too much to fix this problem. How can we afford to house everyone?
FACT: It may seem like an insurmountable problem but actually, it would only take 25,500 housing units to
end chronic homelessness. That’s $345 million dollars, or less than 1% of the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development’s annual budget.
MYTH: Homeless people on the street choose that life.
FACT: The vast majority of chronically homeless people are extremely vulnerable, have disabling conditions,
were victims of abuse, and do not have the benefit of supportive relationships with capacity to help.
MYTH: As a normal, everyday citizen there is nothing I can do.
FACT: Your voice matters. If you are fed up with homelessness, call your representatives and remind them that
there is a cost effective solution already being developed in the majority of communities. Tell them to invest $345
million dollars in McKinney-Vento programs for chronically homeless persons.
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Discussion Guide
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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Snapshot of Homelessness in America http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/snapshot_of_homelessness
State of Homelessness in America 2015 – http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/the-stateof-homelessness-in-america-2015
Background - http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/fact-sheet-chronic-homelessness1
Solutions - http://www.endhomelessness.org/page//files/2685_file_Chronic_Homelessness_Policy_Solutions.pdf
What is ‘housing first’ - http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/housing_first
‘Opening Doors’: the Federal Strategic Plan - http://usich.gov/opening_doors/
How Can I Help - http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/using-advocacy-to-endhomelessness-a-toolkit-for-understanding-and-conducti
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