(10 Nov 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Houston - 8 November 2023
1. Robert plays the accordion in his newly occupied apartment at the Tunnel to Towers Veterans Village
HEADLINE: Foundation honors Texas veterans with housing
2. Closeup of Robert playing the accordion
ANNOTATION: Robert Sikorski is a U.S. Navy Veteran who has been homeless for more than two years now.
3. Mid of Robert playing the accordion
4. Closeup on Robert's hand playing the accordion.
ANNOTATION: Robert is one of the new occupants at the Tunnel to Towers Veterans Village in Houston.
5. Mid of Robert unpacking the accordion
6. Mid of hats on the bed
7. Mid of Robert strapping on Accordion
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8. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Sikorski, U.S. Navy Veteran:
"I was homeless for a while. I had a long surgery. After the long surgery, I just had a hard time adapting. They took me from being pretty broken up, shattered, you know, as a person that you would think, well, how could this person, this could happen to anybody? And they took me in. They gave me a lot of love. They gave me a lot of time and effort. And they made my life very fulfilling. And things have only gotten better."
9. Mid of memorial outside the Tunnel to Towers Veterans Village
10. Various interiors of a furnished apartment
ANNOTATION: The Veterans Village is a fully converted 161-room hotel by Tunnel to Tower Foundation that provides housing and services to over 100 veterans.
11. Various interiors of an indoor gym
ANNOTATION: The program aims to eradicate veteran homelessness by providing housing and services to veterans who are homeless across America.
12. Various of memorials outside the Tunnel to Towers Veterans Village
13. Tilt shot from bottom to top of a memorial outside the Veterans Village
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Houston - 9 November 2023
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Dennis Quaid, actor:
"This village is a beacon of hope, really, for our nation's veterans. Our nation's heroes. And it will give our veterans a piece of the American dream back. A dream that they fought to defend."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Houston - 8 November 2023
15. Various of memorials in the hallway
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Sikorski, U.S. Navy Veteran:
"When you signed up and said, I solemnly swear to protect, you know that you could go to combat and die, you know. And a lot of guys would do it all over again if they had to, you know. And I think with that mindset, knowing that, you know, if I could get through this, I could get through anything. But I just think sometimes people hold too much inside. You need to let that go.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Houston - 9 November 2023
17. Mid of stage performances by Danny Rodriguez singing “God Bless America.”
18. Closeup of Deputy Secretary Julian Purdy, right, and General Burkett, left.
19. Mid of American flag
ANNOTATION: The foundation is dedicated to honoring the sacrifice of FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001.
STORYLINE:
Robert Sikorski is a U.S. Navy Veteran who has been homeless for more than two years now.
He is one of the new occupants in the veteran's village in Texas, a newly renovated facility organizers say will house and service over 100 veterans.
With a smile, the 73-year-old plays the accordion in his newly occupied apartment at the Tunnel to Towers Veterans Village in Houston. "I was homeless for a while,” he says.
The homelessness crisis is complex and multi-faceted.
It requires a comprehensive strategy that blends both innovative and traditional solutions.
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