Coming Home Documentary & Event: Steps Towards Stability, Dignity and Hope

Message from David Crowley

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a trailblazing leader with an unwavering commitment to preventing overdose deaths, has set a bold and audacious goal: to make Milwaukee County the healthiest in America. He spearheads a movement rooted in innovative, compassionate, and evidence-driven public health strategies. At a sold-out screening of the PBS Independent Lens documentary “Coming Home,” Crowley highlighted the county’s groundbreaking harm reduction services as a cornerstone to making progress. 

“The key to achieving this vision is meeting residents where they are—with dignity, respect, and practical solutions,” Crowley declared in video remarks at the No Studios event on October 23. He also cited the need for broader equity to address the historic health, economic, employment, and other disparities plaguing communities of color in Milwaukee.  Read press release here.

From the Screening

The Coming Home Documentary

Through intimate conversations, including heartfelt moments with Malik and her daughter, “Coming Home” unveils a devastating cycle of substance use and incarceration, while showcasing the fierce determination it can take to thrive. The documentary also highlights the critical role Samad’s House plays in providing a safe haven for women to heal, grow, and reclaim their lives, as well as serving as an outlet for harm reduction services, such as naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal medication, and fentanyl test strips.

The documentary portrays an inspiring journey of transformation. Contributions will help support the mission to provide every woman with a safe place to heal and thrive.

Adrienne Hurst, Senior Technical Advisor for the Vital Strategies Overdose Prevention Program, said that Malik saw a world where vulnerable women had nowhere safe to go and dared to build places where they could accomplish their goals.  Hurst said Samad’s House recognizes that knowledge of harm reduction’s supportive care services is as important for people who are abstinent as it is for people who use drugs.

“Samad’s House shows that people who use drugs and people in abstinence-based recovery need to advocate together to ensure policies allow everyone to define and achieve their own wellness goals,” Hurst said, noting that Samad’s House offers comprehensive harm reduction services like naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and mental health support that empower individuals to make safer choices while respecting their autonomy.

Added Hurst: “We are proud to have supported the wonderful work that Samad’s House is doing for women and the community through our overdose prevention investments in Wisconsin, and encourage funders in the public, private, and philanthropic sectors to join these efforts. We recognize the urgent need for equitable funding decisions for organizations such as Samad’s House, for work in historically under-resourced communities and those where drug overdose rates are disproportionately high, even though the level of drug use is similar to other communities.”

The Coming Home documentary reveals the effects of the opioid crisis on Malik and her family. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Milwaukee County eighth in overdose deaths in the country. There were declines in Milwaukee County overdose deaths in 2024.  Significantly, 59 percent of all Black Wisconsin residents live in Milwaukee County, and nearly one-third of the state’s overdose deaths occurred there, despite little difference in drug use with other communities.

Samad’s House, on Milwaukee’s North Side, is in a neighborhood that is 90% Black and experiences a disproportionate number of fatal overdoses.  This is the backdrop for the Coming Home documentary and Malik’s life.  She grew up in this area, became addicted to opioids, was incarcerated, and was determined to find her way back.

In an emotional scene from “Coming Home,” Malik recounts how her time in jail inspired her to create Samad’s House:

“Imagine not using drugs for five or six months, but being addicted for 15 to 20 years,” Malik relates. “They (inmates) would go home, and in a week, they would be back. And I’m like, ‘Why are you back here?’ They would say, ‘I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I started hanging out with the same friends.’ I didn’t think it was fair that we didn’t have anywhere to go, anywhere safe to be. And so as I sat there, I was like, you know what? I need a plan. And I wrote up a business plan on some jailhouse paper to open up a transitional home for women.“

Coming Home is a co-production of Storied Studios LLC and Independent Television Service with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.  Niema Jordan is a producer with Rudnick.  

Women from all walks of life have reclaimed their lives at Samad’s House. Now, you have the opportunity to be part of this incredible story. Witness this inspiring journey of transformation and help support the mission to provide every woman with a safe place to heal and achieve their wellness goals.

Together, we can honor the women of Samad’s House and fuel a future where hope is within reach for all.   

— Joanna Rudnick, Director/Producer