WOOD RIVER - LoveJoy United Presbyterian Church will host a special film showing and panel to discuss homelessness in the Riverbend community.
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At 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, community members can stop by the Wood River church for a free showing of “Evicting the American Dream,” a documentary on homelessness. The 52-minute film will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with local leaders in the fight against homelessness.
“This film is helping people to understand our unhoused neighbors,” said Karen Wilson with the church’s Adult Christian Education Committee. “It just makes no sense that we’re not working to resolve this situation. You cannot ban people from a community because they’re homeless. There’s no place for them to go. You can’t legislate a certain segment of your population out of existence. That doesn’t work. I’m just really passionate about this.”
“Evicting the American Dream” was produced by the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program. A producer of the film will send the church a video introducing the film and welcoming community members to the screening.
Following the film, representatives from Madison County, the Overnight Warming Locations, and Amare will answer audience questions about their work to combat homelessness in our area.
The film investigates the aftermath of evictions. Wilson pointed out that an eviction can follow a person for years and make it very difficult to rent another apartment or house, leaving people “stuck.” She hopes the documentary and the Q&A encourage people to view homelessness with more compassion and understanding.
Many LoveJoy United Presbyterian Church congregation members volunteer with Operation Blessing and the Overnight Warming Locations, and Wilson herself has heard several stories from local unhoused individuals. She believes the film will humanize the issue and encourage more kindness.
“It’s a very serious issue right here in our own communities, but it’s nationwide. It’s everywhere,” she said. “We just have to do better, and the only way to do that is by understanding the situation more.”
For more information about the screening of “Evicting the American Dream” at LoveJoy United Presbyterian Church, visit the official Facebook event page.
