Radical Love: the Haley House documentary - TRAILER

My name is Alexandra Pinschmidt, and I am the filmmaker behind "Radical Love" - a documentary about a 40-year old non-profit organization in Boston and its personal approaches to addressing societal inequality. Haley House is a "radical" organization, in that it "gets to the root of" so many overwhelming social issues. Its programs address poverty and marginalization from a number of different strategies and levels, including: a soup kitchen, a socially responsible café and bakery training program, over 100 affordable housing units, and an organic farm outside the city. This documentary film will artistically and personally delve into issues of homelessness, marginalization, and economic inequality. The documentary will also focus on productive ways of engaging these issues, through economic and social empowerment, fostering personal relationships and community, and challenging our own beliefs and oppressive structures in society.

The creation of the documentary will in itself mirror the community-based ethos of Haley House; it is a participatory project that engages the entire Haley House community, from the directors and staff, to the guests in the soup kitchen. The poetry, artwork, and music is all created or performed by people associated with Haley House, and Bostonian street musicians. The documentary will also have strong artistic undercurrents of urban and natural motifs, which evoke the outdoor aspects of being homeless.

Haley House's story is also important to document because of its connection to the historic Catholic Worker Movement, a non-violent, progressive social justice movement begun in the 1930s that sought to challenge structural inequality on a personal level. Although Haley House is modeled in this tradition, it is uniquely different in that it is a registered non-profit, and does not identify as a Catholic organization. Haley House espouses an eclectic and open spiritual undercurrent that is inclusive of all beliefs and people.

www.haleyhouse.org
alipinschmidt@yahoo.com

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• radical
• love
• homelessness
• social
• justice
• non-profit
• catholic
• worker
• haley
• house
• pinschmidt
• poverty
• boston
• soup
• kitchen

[LanaBanana53]

decades ago as a kid I sat in on a conference in Tivoli, NY about housing where Dorothy Day was speaking. I was moved by her words but more by her spirit. This woman was not phoney baloney and as a kid I was beginning to distinguish the fake from the real. I went on to be a community organizer and advocate and I would say that my influence came from first my mother and then Dorothy Day.

Unfortunately I became ill... sorry to see the housing is not wheelchair accessible - will it be? When?

[alidocs]

Hello, thanks for your comments. I know some of the Haley House housing is indeed wheelchair accessible.

[MrTorrit]

A really good documentary. I volunteer for a soup kitchen in Bradford in the uk so enjoyed the messages. Cheers Tom

[DTMFA]

I lived and worked at Haley House in the summer of '04, and it continues to influence me to this day, as I teach public school in Philadelphia. It's a very, very special place.

[Ariaannis]

Excellent...I live close by and never knew of this story...excellent documentary

[OCHomeless]

I really like the thought of the gardens, bakery, and the kitchen. I enjoyed your video very much. I am now doing a series of videos on our organization and I hope they turn out as well as yours. Take care and thanks.

[neela404]

Hey Alexandra, looks great. People need to learn more about empowerment and not just hand-outs. Am a friend of Tammy's and she asked me to check it out. Used to live in the South End and have been to Haley's

[jocsdenanos]

Great Job!!