Following the screening, presented with Youth Emergency Services will be a panel discussion moderated by Omaha World-Herald columnist Erin Grace, with YES’ Director of Program Services Cindy Goodin and two youth who have benefitted from YES’ services.

THE HOMESTRETCH, directed by Anne De Mare and Kirstin Kelly, follows three homeless teens as they fight to stay in school, graduate, and build a future. Each of these smart, 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. Through haunting images, intimate scenes, and first-person narratives, these teens take us on their journeys of struggle and triumph. As their stories unfold, the film connects us deeply with larger policy issues of juvenile justice, immigration, foster care, and LBGTQIA rights.

This collaborative screening and event coincides with National Youth Homelessness Awareness Month. Youth Emergency Services will host its annual Breaking the Cycle Luncheon on November 6 at 11:30 am, with guest speaker Justin Reed Early, author of “Street Child: A Memoir.”