Ty Pennington Welcomes Role in Film He Hopes ‘Really Changes Everything’

Ty Pennington is well known for his work on the small screen, helping renovate homes and improve the lives of families in need.

Now, the host of HGTV‘s “Rock the Block” can be seen on the big screen in a full-length feature film that examines the issue of homelessness in the United States. And much like his fans have to come to expect from the real-life Pennington, his character in the movie makes a significant impact through a simple act of kindness.

“I think that one belief in somebody and seeing them as a human being is what really changes everything,” Pennington said of his movie moment in an interview clip posted to the film’s Instagram page.

Ty Pennington Touts Project Shining Light on Issues of Homelessness

Inspired by true events, the film is called “No Address,” and it follows the lives of four individuals who, for various reasons, wind up living on the streets. Pennington plays Mr. Mills, the owner of a hardware store who gives one of the central characters in the movie a job, which Pennington said in a separate clip posted to the film’s Instagram page proves to be a pivotal point for a person who had seemingly lost hope.

“I know in my life, having ADHD and other things, you don’t always have the most confidence in yourself. I think growing up with certain, you know, mental traits like ADHD, etc., sometimes your own family doesn’t even have confidence in you,” Pennington said. “And so it takes meeting someone who believes in you and really gives you something you’ve never had, which is a belief in yourself, that changes the trajectory of your life.”

The movie, which also stars William Baldwin, Beverly D’Angelo, Xander Berkeley and Ashanti, is scheduled to open in theatres on February 28. It was produced by Robert Craig Films, which has pledged to donate 50 percent of all net proceeds to support nonprofits tackling the issue of homelessness in communities nationwide.

“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to get involved with the project,” said Pennington, whose work as host of the TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” gained critical acclaim for his philanthropic efforts.

In addition to the movie, the producers made a documentary titled “Americans With No Address,” which involved the Robert Craig Films team visiting 20 major cities across 18 states over three weeks to interview and document the real-life struggles of people who are dealing with homelessness, as well as some who were able to escape that situation. Narrated by Baldwin, the documentary is available for streaming via Amazon Prime.

Ty Pennington Encourages People to See Movie That Puts Real Faces on Issue

In another Instagram clip, Pennington talked about the importance of this project, and the hope that it can help inspire meaningful change.

“It really shines a light on how real it all is, and what I mean by that is, homelessness, we sort of see it, you know what I mean? But we sort of look at like stats, and we’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t know that person,’” Pennington said. “But I think what’s important about this movie and this documentary is it really shows that these people are people just like us. People that have families, people that used to have jobs, and just a simple twist of events can leave us all in a place that we didn’t realize we could be. And so I really think it’s important for all of us to not only see it, but also understand that it’s a multi-layer process. Like there’s mental health issues, and there’s so many situations that sort of have to be remedied, but this is the first film or (documentary) I’ve ever seen that’s really shown the realness of the situation that so many people are in now, and I think even more are going to be in the future. So I’m encouraging people to go see it because I think you can finally have empathy for the person that you thought, ‘Oh, why don’t they just get a job?’ There’s a lot more to it than that, and you start to realize like this could happen to anyone, including yourself.”