Rebeca Zuñiga – Beyond Homeless: Finding Hope
We had the opportunity to interview Rebeca Zuñiga, who was part of the team behind Beyond Homeless: Finding Hope which is an official selection at the Utah Film Festival.
What was the inspiration to make Beyond Homeless: Finding Hope?
“Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 45 years, and working in both public policy and as a longtime volunteer and Salvation Army board member, I was mystified by the spiraling numbers of individuals experiencing homelessness—and the deterioration and degradation of a city once widely considered to be among the most beautiful in the world—in the face of every-expanding resources directed at homelessness. It struck me as a challenge crying out to be solved. We thus set out to find out what was driving homelessness here, and if there were examples we could identify elsewhere that could be applied here to turn the situation around.” Mary L.G. Theroux
From idea to completion, how did Beyond Homeless: Finding Hope change?
Originally, we planned for the story to be told entirely from the viewpoint of individuals experiencing homelessness and those who had overcome its challenges to achieve their full potential. But we came to see that the story we wanted to tell required bringing in other voices to provide context and the additional information that could inspire viewers to engage and become active participants in applying its lessons to their communities.
What was the biggest challenge in getting this show made?
Covid lockdowns and mandates
What do you think is the most important takeaway from Beyond Homeless: Finding Hope?
That individuals coming together in community are powerful in creating solutions to seemingly intractable challenges such as homelessness.
If you could have a do over with your film is there anything that you would do differently? If so, what would that be?
I would dearly love to be able to re-shoot it without masks!
What do you have next in the works?
We would like to portray other stories of approaches that have been proven faulty as well as those that show success, in order that others can learn and apply the lessons to their communities.
How can we learn more about you and your projects?
On our website BeyondHomeless.org
