Richard Gere, the legendary Hollywood actor who made us fall in love with him in Pretty Woman and made us cry our eyes out in Hachiko, among dozens of other productions, has decided to move to another country, Spain, together with his wife Alejandra Silva. And at 76 years old and from his residence in La Moraleja (one of the neighborhoods with the highest income per capita in Spain) he says he is very aware of social commitment and his family. So much so that he has a project for the country: to end homelessness.
Careful, not to end them… To find them a solution. He gives himself six years and estimates that there are 30,000 people across the country living in homelessness, and he believes it is a manageable figure if action is taken wisely.
This announcement was made by the couple in an interview on a Spanish program, where Ana Pastor (the presenter) asked him about the situation, and we are going to tell you everything Gere has in mind.
A project together with Alejandra Silva
The first step for this project has already been taken, both Gere and Silva have produced a documentary titled “What Nobody Wants to See” where they speak directly with homeless people in the Spanish capital to give them a voice and show what people ignore every day.
It is not something new, nor just to get credit, already in 2014 Gere disguised himself as a homeless man in New York City to experience firsthand social rejection and the harshness of living on the street. It was something so tough that it marked him forever and he wants to use that experience as a driving force for change.
“While I was in character I could see many people two blocks away and they judged me by how I dressed. I was very visible to them”
Dehumanizing experience
For Gere, homelessness is not just sleeping on the street, it is a process that strips away your dignity little by little. Going through the endless procedures of shelters, most are treated like criminals to get a bed, and then expelled early in the morning. It is a wheel that is very difficult to escape from…
What does Gere propose?
Permanent housing for the homeless that allows them to rebuild their lives with stability and with as much dignity as possible.
More than a local challenge
Gere does not want it to be limited only to Spain, he wants the world to take example, homelessness is not a problem without a solution.
Gere and Silva believe that with the necessary resources, good management of the situation and above all, political will, Spain could be the first country to eradicate homelessness.
Activist beyond cinema
He has never been a stranger to social causes, he has always been involved in the defense of Human Rights, in issues of mental health and environmental initiatives. Also, for example, he has positioned himself against the genocide that the Palestinian people are currently suffering. And beyond being a renowned Hollywood figure, with prestige and fame, he has something that very few activists have: the ability to put international focus on real problems (and be listened to). In this case, he has used his voice to give it to the most disadvantaged, those who barely survive on the streets.
Is it an achievable goal?
It is a challenge, let’s call it that, they are 30,000 people (the estimated figure, perhaps many more), and it is quite a large economic and logistical challenge. But if private resources, institutional support and citizen awareness are combined, it might not be such a complicated process.
Neither Gere nor Silva want to look the other way, they want to structurally face a problem that affects many citizens and that seems no one cares about. This time, they will once again use their voice to help those who need it most. Print more Richard Geres, please, we need several more in this dehumanized world!