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Fundraiser – Samad’s House COMING HOME Screening

by | Aug 26, 2025 | Event, Featured, Fundraiser, Newsroom, Samad's House

Samads House Sober Living Woman Recovery in Milwaukee COMING HOME PBS Fundraiser
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Coming Home Fundraiser: A Step Toward Stability, Dignity, and Hope

With the transformative power of storytelling, the “Coming Home” documentary explores an intergenerational/mother-daughter story of harm, help, and reconciliation while navigating substance use disorder. This extraordinary journey results in the creation of Samad’s House in Milwaukee, one of the Midwest’s leading sober living facilities for women. The documentary portrays the life of Tahira Malik, a visionary who chronicles her path from addiction to recovery and establishes a safe space for women with substance disorders.  Through intimate conversations, including a poignant moment with her daughter, “Coming Home” captures the painful cycle of substance use and incarceration, and the fierce determination required to break it. Tahira saw a world where women return to the streets with nowhere safe to go, and she dared to build them a home where they could recover.

The acclaimed documentary “Coming Home” will be available on select PBS websites. Please attend Milwaukee’s exclusive Samad’s House Coming Home Celebration and Special Screening Fundraiser on October 23 at No Studios.

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About the Documentary

The final episode of The Opioid Trilogy is an intimate conversation between a mother and daughter, Tahira Malik and Samia Harris. They discuss the effects of the opioid crisis on their family and what inspired Tahira to found Samad’s House, a sober living home that offers women resources to overcome addiction and thrive.

Milwaukee County in Wisconsin ranks tenth in overdose deaths in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Samad’s House sits in a Milwaukee neighborhood that is 90% Black and experiences a disproportionate number of these fatal overdoses. Tahira grew up in this area and became addicted to opioids, which she says caused her to lose her sense of self. After serving 13 months in prison for theft related to her addiction, she was released in 2013 and focused on reuniting with her three young children, who lived with her parents while she was incarcerated. With a felony on her record, she needed to find a new job to support her family. However, she dreamed of creating a space for women like herself who leave prison with nowhere to go. In 2020, she opened the doors to Samad’s House, which provides women with acceptance, shelter, and care. The home offers services ranging from counseling to budget management classes, equipping women with tools to manage sobriety, restore their family lives, and readjust to society.

The Filmmaking Team

Director/Producer, Joanna Rudnick 

Producer, Niema Jordan  

COMING HOME is a co-production of Storied Studios LLC and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation For Public Broadcasting (CPB). This program was produced by Storied Studios LLC which is solely responsible for its content.

© 2025 Storied Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved.

— Joanna Rudnick, Director/Producer

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Saving Lives: Ambassador Cheryl Jones and the Mission of Samad’s House

Saving Lives: Ambassador Cheryl Jones and the Mission of Samad’s House

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As an ambassador for Samad’s House, Cheryl Jones recently organized tables outside Franciscan Peacemakers on Lisbon Avenue in the Walnut Hill neighborhood on Milwaukee’s Near West Side. Samad’s House is one of the Midwest’s leading residential facilities for women in recovery. That morning, like so many others, Jones was there to counsel residents on harm reduction—offering tools, resources, and services designed to prevent drug overdose deaths and keep users safe.

A woman wandered by, eyeing the table. “What’s in the bags?” she asked.

Jones had heard this question countless times before. Her usual response was straightforward: she’d explain the contents—naloxone, a life-saving medicine that reverses opioid overdoses; fentanyl test strips to detect the deadly synthetic compound in street drugs; and gun locks to prevent accidental shootings. But too often, the response was met with shame. “I don’t use drugs,” people would say, turning away. They wouldn’t take the bags, Jones explained, because they were too embarrassed to admit they might need them.

But at 63, Jones had learned to adapt. That day, she tried a new approach. “I know you don’t use drugs,” she said gently. “But everyone knows someone—a family member, a friend, a neighbor—who does. Naloxone and test strips can save lives. Take them. Let me teach you how to use them. You could save someone’s life.”

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Saving Lives, Restoring Hope:  Spectrum TV Tells the Story of Samad’s House

Saving Lives, Restoring Hope:  Spectrum TV Tells the Story of Samad’s House

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In a moving Spectrum TV interview, Tahira Malik, founder of Samad’s House, and Caroline Gatson, a former resident turned Chief Ambassador, shared their deeply personal journeys of resilience, recovery, and the life-saving power of harm reduction. Their stories underscore the critical need for sustained harm-reduction funding to save lives and rebuild communities.

Over the past five years, Samad’s House has offered hope and inspiration for women and families in Milwaukee County. What began in 2020 as a single sober living home has grown into a network of three homes and a behavioral health clinic, offering comprehensive services to help women and families recover and stay sober. To date, Samad’s House has empowered over 75 women and nearly a dozen families to reclaim their lives, showing its profound impact on the community.

“We focus on the mind, body, and spirit while unifying with our families and children,” Malik explained during the interview. Samad’s House also provides compassionate harm reduction tools and resources to the community, such as naloxone and fentanyl test strips, to prevent overdoses and save lives.

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