Milwaukee Fire Chief Lipski, Health Commissioner Totoraitis, County Executive Crowley Join Samad's House Special Screening of PBS Independent Lens Documentary 'Coming Home'

MEDIA INVITED

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MILWAUKEE EVENT AT 5 PM ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2025

City & County Officials Speak at Special Event Honoring Samad's House Founder Tahira Malik's Inspiring Addiction to Advocate Journey and Her Leadership in the Fight Against Drug Overdose Deaths

MILWAUKEE , Oct. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 

 WHO:

• Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski
• Milwaukee Health Commissioner Michael Totoraitis
• Tahira Malik, Founder of Samad's House
• David Crowley, Milwaukee County Executive (recorded)
• Dennis Radloff, a Wisconsin harm reduction advocate, formerly with Vital Strategies
• Joanna Rudnick, director/producer of 'Coming Home'
• Samia Harris, Tahira Malik's daughter

WHAT:
Samad's House hosts a celebratory fundraiser and private screening of the powerful PBS Independent Lens mini-documentary, "Coming Home." The film chronicles the extraordinary journey of Samad's House founder Tahira Malik, from addiction and incarceration to creating one of the Midwest's leading sober living facilities and providers of compassionate harm reduction services. Here is a trailer. Through intimate conversations, including heartfelt moments with her daughter, Samia Harris, "Coming Home" showcases Tahira's fierce determination to enhance her quality of life and thrive. The documentary also highlights Samad's House's critical role in providing a safe haven for women to heal, grow, and reclaim their lives. It is a hub for harm reduction services, such as providing naloxone, a life-saving, overdose prevention medication, and fentanyl test strips. The event also features a panel discussion with Tahira, her daughter, director/producer Joanna Rudnick, and Dennis Radloff, a Wisconsin harm reduction advocate. The panel will highlight topics critical to helping families cope with substance disorders and recovery:

• How families can work towards intergenerational healing while implementing harm reduction strategies to support their wellbeing.
• How to overcome misconceptions about drug use and create more open-mindedness about approaches that are known to be effective.
• When do we know/understand when there is a need to lean in or lean back from a situation with a person living with addiction?
• How to ensure decision makers are providing resources to Milwaukee's communities most heavily impacted by overdose deaths.

WHEN:
Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 5 pm to 8 pm 

WHERE:
No Studios
1037 McKinley Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53205

Media Contact:
Michael K. Frisby: [email protected] 202-625-4328 

SOURCE Samad's House