Richard Gere dropped by Corner House recently to see how supportive housing helps people transition out of homelessness for good.
The actor and activist, famous for movies like Pretty Woman and An Officer and a Gentleman, is getting rave reviews for his performance as a homeless New Yorker in the just-released Time out of Mind. At Corner House he listened intently as director Georgiette Morgan Thomas talked about how she and her staff work with residents to help them transform their lives. Gere also stopped by a tenant’s room for a quick chat.
Corner House provides permanent housing for formerly homeless, mentally ill adults. It supports residents with case management, psychiatric care, meals, and recreational activities to help them thrive. Studies show supportive housing reduces homelessness and improves residents’ health. It also saves money by cutting down on emergency room visits and hospital stays.
The visit was arranged by the Supportive Housing Network of New York, which has a great interview with Moverman on its website. In it, the director and screenwriter credits Gere as the driving force behind the movie.
“He has been pursuing this project for over a decade. I ran into him at a party and he told me that he had this script that he was obsessed with,” Moverman recalls.
The filmmaker also praises Corner House and the other residence he and Gere visited.
“The critical work you are doing to create a bridge back to community for vulnerable people really made a big impression on us,” says Moverman.
“The buildings are beautiful, yet what struck me most was the sense of community, the warm embrace of a real family.”
For theater showtimes and online rentals of Time out of Mind, see the film’s official website.