Terri "Detroit" Hughes and Film "Lost Angels: Skid Row is My Home”

The presenter, Terri "Detroit" Hughes, is also an advocate/consultant, peer mentor, actress & writer, has lived on Skid Row, the homeless capitol of the world in Los Angeles, for seven years. She was featured in the 2009 movie "The Soloist" starring Jamie Foxx, Robert Downing, Jr. and Catherine Keener. She also has a role in the the sequel "Lost Angels" which is being released today.

Terri has turned her life around from being a homeless, 86 pound woman addicted to drugs and suffering from depression and mental illness, to an accomplished compassionate advocate who travels the country to bring the issues of homelessness, poverty, mental illness, and drug addiction to the consiousness of individuals of all ages and walks of life, who have no concept of this whole other society that exists, not only in California, but all across the nation.

She conducts presentations in schools, churches, and universities, as well as for community and state agencies. Her most recent engagements have included PBS, the Black Caucus, the Los Angeles Police Department, UCLA, and most recently at Crookston High School and Gospel Outreach Ministries' Life Restoration Recovery Programs there in Grand Forks. On April 4, she will be presenting here at UMC and hopefully at the GF Airforce Base.

Her story is compelling, but what is most important, is the light she brings to the fore regarding homelessness, mental illness, and drug addiction. Her stirring dialog will not only raise awareness, but also motivate and inspire your students to increase their knowledge and seek opportunities to become invloved in your community.