Tom Shadyac and the founders of Invisible Children will appear on “The Oprah Show” Wednesday, April 20.

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Morgan Freeman, Steve Carell and Shadyac on the set of Evan Almighty

Tom Shadyac, director of Patch Adams, Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar and the Ace Ventura series, purchased an old downtown church in Charlottesville, Va., to create The Haven, a new model for confronting homelessness by building community across socio-economic divides. Shadyac’s new documentary I Am explores why societies repeatedly face systemic injustices and is currently hitting the film festival circuit amid generous acclaim. Shadyac sat down with Halogen for a conversation around the intersection of storytelling and cultural change.

Why is it important to tell good stories?

Stories are modern-day parables. They allow us to encounter truth through the lives and questions of other characters. We are challenged without being put on the defensive.  We can consider challenging questions and consider who we are – and who we want to be. Our stories are the extension of old tribal firesides where truths were passed on from one generation to another – only now we have digital media to tell our stories.

Why was it important for you to do something in Charlottesville?

Well, I didn’t really pick it. When I was working in Charlottesville on Evan Almighty, I woke up to the needs of the community. I had been a member of this community while in college at the University of Virginia – but wasn’t awake to these needs. When I was a student, I didn’t realize that the people serving me (cafeteria workers, sanitation workers, maintenance people) were not able to get a living wage and were having a hard time sending their kids to school. I had benefited from all their efforts, but I had never supported them in their hopes for their own families. Now that I was awake to all this, I felt compelled to help.

Why the issue of homelessness?

It actually started with the issue of the working poor when I saw UVA students protesting for a living wage. Those students may never know, but their action was the linchpin for my involvement. As local activists began talking to me about homelessness, the numbers were so staggeringly manageable. I come from Los Angeles where the numbers are in the tens of thousands; and I thought, “Well, it’s something that can be solved – and then possibly modeled out to other cities.” The city of Charlottesville was rated the #1 city in America at the time, but we need to put an asterisk by that if we have a homelessness problem.

What are your hopes for what The Haven will become?

Yesterday was the first time I saw it up and running. I saw tired men and women  – and they were resting. I thought, “Every cent I invested is worth it. People are resting – you can’t put a price on that.” Then I saw volunteers and how they were finding joy in serving, and this makes it all worth it. I encountered all echelons of the community there celebrating and enjoying dance and art. For the future, I simply hope that many of the homeless are transitioning to stable lives and helping others transition as well. I hope there is a community loving and serving together.

Say something about the unique model here – not only providing services for the homeless but providing space for relationships between those who are homeless and those who aren’t, between everyone in the city?

I want the full spectrum of Charlottesville’s community to enter these doors for the pure joy of it, to be curious about who is here, wondering, “Can I get a cup of coffee? Can I serve a cup of coffee? Can I see what is playing in the sanctuary?” It is mutuality, a chance to engage one another – those who have physical needs sharing with those who have emotional needs, giving and receiving to each other.

Watch the trailer and see the screening schedule for “I Am.”