I will admit that I approached Americans With No Address with just a hint of hesitation. It wasn't so much a resistance to the subject matter of the film, homelessness in America, but instead an awareness that immersing myself in that world would be a reminder of my own two experiences with homelessness during my young adult years as I struggled with health issues, trauma, and seemingly relentless instability. 

Yet, Americans With No Address is a vital and necessary film that challenges preconceived notions about homelessness, those who are homeless or unhoused, and the stereotypes that so many of us have about a life we often don't understand. 

The film is currently streaming on Prime Video and it dives deeply to stir up conversations about policy reform, community engagement, empathy, and our role in doing something about homelessness in America. The team behind Americans With No Address is doing more than making a film here - they're on a mission to raise awareness and solutions. This film, a feature doc, comes out in advance of No Address, a narrative feature arriving in theaters nationwide on February 28th. In a rather novel approach, the team first produced this documentary in an effort to amplify the accuracy of the feature film. The production team toured the country visiting and filming interviews in 20 major cities across 18 states. They interviewed everyone from homeless shelter CEOs to city leaders to, of course, those who are homeless. In total, over 175 people were interviewed and the result is an informative, stirring feature doc that practically demands to be watched. 

Co-directed by Stephen Wollwerth and Julia Verdin, Americans With No Address features a few familiar faces alongside Baldwin's narration including gospel singer Amy Grant, Emmy Award-winner Ty Pennington, acclaimed writer Max Lucado and others. While the familiar faces are wonderful, it's the film's powerful subject matter that really matters and it's the lives of those impacted that's most effective throughout the film. 

Americans With No Address is a call-to-action film that invites all of us to connect with organizations supporting the homeless in our own communities whether that be through volunteering, financial support, sponsoring, or in any other number of ways. Additionally, of course, this is a film that encourages us to actually "see" the homeless and see our responsibility to them in a way that supports and empowers and never condescends. 

As someone who just survived cancer in the past year, I'll confess that my old anxieties about ending up homeless again crept into even the most basic decisions around my healthcare. Americans With No Address is a reminder of the humanity of those who are homeless and, even moreso, a reminder that it truly can happen to any of us. 

You can catch Americans With No Address via Prime Video in advance of the No Address release on February 28th. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic