St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families marked November’s National Homelessness Awareness Month with a screening of a short documentary film, “In Her Words,” at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School’s Nolan Center. The film that was screened at the Catholic high school in Washington highlighted four young mothers who had experienced homelessness and other challenges before coming to live at St. Ann’s.
“When my grandmother died, I felt like I was alone. I felt like God had just completely left me,” said one of the young mothers, Paige, in the beginning of the film.
The women in the movie all talked about the support they felt from St. Ann’s staff at the center in Hyattsville, Maryland, as well as the support from their fellow mothers in the program. “I was struggling before I came to St. Ann’s,” said Hana. “Life has been hard for me outside, and St. Ann’s helped me a lot.”
St. Ann’s offers housing for more than 20 young mothers and their children every year, supporting them with counseling, parenting skills classes, career guidance, clinical and social work services and child care.
In the film, Sister Nancy Downing – a religious sister in the Congregation of Notre Dame who serves as St. Ann’s CEO – said, “St. Ann’s is more than just a place where women come to have a safe place from the streets for themselves and for their children. It’s a place where they can take a breath, where they can start to think about who they are, who they want to be, what they want for the children.”
The film was followed by a panel discussion with Sister Nancy; two St. Ann’s program alumnae, Brittany Hill Stroman and Africa Speight; Knina Harvey, St. Ann’s Director of Clinical Social Work Services; and Robin Smith from Video Action who created the film.
“[Tonight] is about story and conversation and connection. It's about exploring and challenging narratives around homelessness and housing insecurity. It's also about celebrating and uplifting the women and their children, who with faith and resilience are overcoming challenges and inspiring us all in the process,” said moderator Kim Daniels, Director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.
Panelist Africa Speight recalled coming to St. Ann’s seven years ago when she was seven months pregnant with her son who was sitting in the audience. She remembered feeling nervous and uncertain when she first walked through St. Ann’s doors. “I think about [the parable about] having faith the size of the mustard seed. I was very scared,” she said. “And a lot of times I couldn't see the light on the other side. I didn't know what I wanted to be, who I wanted to be. So St. Ann’s definitely gave me that drive.” Today Speight has a bachelor's degree in Correctional Program Support Service and works to help reduce the recidivism rate.
“We look at every woman as the wonderful, gifted human being that they are, and not looking at what their circumstances have been, but who they are and who they can be,” said Sister Nancy in the film. She noted that St. Ann’s helps those young women discover “all of that wonderful giftedness that's been hidden away under lots of trauma.”
Panelist Brittany Hill Stroman found herself at St. Ann’s fleeing a domestic violence situation. St. Ann’s helped her see that a different life was possible. “I think that it is just very important that you hold on to knowing that you can be more, your situation can be more, and that God has more for you. Because He's never going to leave you in a position of hopelessness,” she said.
Daniels noted that data from the 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report showed an increase in homelessness for families with children.
Sister Nancy looked out at the crowd of St. Ann’s supporters listening to the panelists and said, “I noticed in the audience that we have probably a lot of parents... I want you to think back to when you had your first child and how scary it was and how uncertain things seemed... Now, imagine being a single mom who doesn't have a place to live, who is struggling to find food, who doesn't have the supports that you might have had in place, who's looking just to secure the basic needs. Remember how exhausted you were with your first child? Now imagine having all of those [basic] things you have to consider as well,” she said.
St. Ann’s CEO said she hopes that the movie will help people rethink what homelessness looks like.
Homelessness is not about laziness or poor choices, she said, rather it’s about a lack of opportunity, generational barriers, lack of education or a loss in the family. The women don’t always have a blueprint for their life and have to learn everything on their own, she said.
Sister Nancy added that homelessness is not who the women at St. Ann’s are. “It is something that they have experienced. The women are incredibly resilient, courageous, strong, hard working, creative, talented, loving, caring women who want the best for their children just like you want the best for your children. I am inspired by them every day.”
After the discussion, Sister Nancy received a special congressional citation signed by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, that noted St. Ann’s “unwavering dedication to lifting vulnerable children, mothers, and families out of poverty and homelessness, with appreciation for all it does to empower every child and mother to reach their fullest potential, with gratitude for its efforts to raise awareness during National Homelessness Awareness Month, and with the best wishes for its continued success.”
Two of the women who were interviewed in the film were in attendance at the screening, one with her young son in tow.
(For more information on St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families, go online to www.stanns.org)
