Sharon Anderson Morris, FiReFilms chief executive officer, invites the public to visit the Inn Between, the nation’s first hospice for the unhoused.
She’ll do that through a screening of award-winning director and Sundance Film Festival alumni Ondi Timoner’s documentary, “The Inn Between,” on Tuesday, May 20, and an actual visit to the facility on Wednesday, May 21.
“We’re going to host a reception and meet-and-greet at 5:30 p.m. before the screening, and then we’ll conduct a Q and A with Ondi and Jillian Olmstead, the executive director of the Inn Between,” Anderson Morris said. “Then the next day at 11 a.m., we’ll go to the Inn Between for a walkthrough.”
Those who plan to participate in the walkthrough are encouraged to bring donations, Anderson Morris said. (See accompanying lists below for donation ideas.)
RSVPs for the screening are now open by emailing Anderson Morris at [email protected], and the address where the screening will take place will be provided after RSVPs, according to Anderson Morris.
“We’re going to show the film at my friend and FiReFilms’ member Lisa Wilson’ home, and we have 20 seats currently open,” she said. “We also plan on having a waiting list, so we do ask that people who RSVP make sure they show up.”
The Inn Between opened in 2015, at 1216 E. 1300 South, in Salt Lake City, and its mission is to end the tragedy of vulnerable people dying on the streets by providing medical respite and end-of-life care, Anderson Morris said
“This is the only place in the country that takes people and their pets off the street and puts them into a wonderful community that has great end-of-life care full of respect and dignity,” she said. “This facility built a community and had licensed doctors, beds and good food.”
Since opening, The Inn Between has provided more than 90,000 nights of compassionate medical housing to more than 900 individuals and ensured upwards of 150 people a dignified death, Anderson Morris said.
“A lot of those people who were placed in the inn for end-of-life care actually survived because they thrived in that community,” she said.
A study by Utah Valley University also found a 91% reduction in hospital utilization among Inn Between residents, and an average reduction of 2.23 hospital readmissions per resident.
The study also recorded a 17.38-day decrease in length of stay, totaling 38.75 fewer hospital days per individual.
“So, the Inn Between also helps those residents find jobs and housing,” Anderson Morris said.
“The Inn Between” is the type of film that fits FiReFilms mission to support scientifically-based documentaries that educate, inspire and transform humanity, from conception through distribution.
Anderson Morris started FiReFilms, named after her annual Future-in-Review conference, in 2009.
It’s a 12-month membership-based organization of the Strategic News Service network, a global source of world-changing information focused on the intersection of technology and economics, she said.
“FiReFilms is all about finding the most important documentaries in the world and promoting them and their directors by sharing them through educational systems,” she said. “Every year at our conference, I select a film that I feel is critical for our world to know about.”
FiReFilms memberships are $195 per year, and members have the opportunity to view 12 to 15 documentaries via film link and participate in interviews with the directors, according to Anderson Morris.
Anderson Morris’ selection of “The Inn Between” stems from her familiarity with Timoner’s previous film, “Last Flight Home.”
“It’s a documentary about her father who was in hospice, and it touched on end-of-life care and state-supported euthanasia,” she said. “We had already selected that as one of our marquee films, and then somebody brought her new film to my attention.”
At that time, Anderson Morris didn’t know the Inn Between was in Salt Lake City.
“I thought it was a magnificently made film about what a city was doing to get people who were dying and their animals off the streets and into a resident hospice facility,” she said. “What many people don’t know is that a lot of people have animals long before they became (unhoused), and they take their animals with them, as would I. Because if someone told me they had a bed for me, but had to put my dog in a pound, there’s no way I would do that. So the Inn Between is a perfect example of what we can do with the rest of the world to help people, animals and humanity.”
Anderson Morris feels anyone can put the Inn Between model anywhere in the world, and it would benefit the whole community.
“I think it’s important that we do whatever we can do to help each other out these days,” she said. “We should be proud we established this type of positive influence, and we need to share this with other people because it’s a win-win for everybody.”
‘The Inn Between’ screening hosted by FiReFilms
- When: 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 20
- Where: Address provided through RSVP
- Cost: Free
- RSVP: [email protected]
- Web: futureinreview.com and firefilms.org
Also:
The Inn Between visit and walkthrough
- When: 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 21
- Where: 1216 E. 1300 South
- Web: firefilms.org and tibhospice.org
Suggested donations for the Inn Between
Food/Dietary Needs
- Sausage and bacon
- Eggs
- Fresh fruit and vegetables
- Pedialyte/Gatorade
- Snacks (i.e. granola bars)
- Coffee (ground or k-cups)
- Coffee creamer (shelf-stable)
- Pancake syrup
- Individual packets of ketchup, mustard, mayo, relish, salt, pepper and hot sauce
- Meals prepared in commercial kitchen or purchased frozen meals
Essential Supplies for Expanding Services
- Gift Cards to Ace/Lowe’s/Home Depot for maintenance items
- Safes to lock medications and valuables
- HD TV antennas and flat screen TVs for resident rooms (32″ screens)
- Bedside lamps with outlets
- Twin, extra large fitted sheets (non-white)
- Large refillable spray bottles
- Brooms and dustpans
- Men’s sweatpants (Large)
- Men’s casual shoes (sizes 11.5-12.5)
- Men’s slippers (sizes 7-10)
- Men’s deodorant
- Small prizes ($5 or less) for resident activities
- Hospital or travel mugs with straws
- Toilet paper and tissue (always in need!)
- 55 gallon black trash bags
- Cordless vacuum