"I once heard a story about a homeless man on Hollywood Boulevard who really thought he was invisible. It is not hard to comprehend this man's slow spiral into invisibility. Once on the street, people started to walk past him, ignoring him as if he didn't exist?much like they do to a piece of thrash on the side walk. I not only feel their pain, I truly know their pain. You would never know it now, but I was a homeless person. Fourteen years ago, I lived on Hollywood Boulevard," - Mark Horvath.

Mark Horvath is on a personal mission to tell the story of homeless people across America. Horvath is a documentary filmmaker who is determined to give homeless people a voice and a face so they will no longer remain invisible to the world around them.

This summer, Horvath is embarking on a road trip across the United States with a documentary team to show the effects of homelessness across the country. Last summer, he visited over 25 cities including two Safe Place agencies, Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth in Las Vegas, and Youth Oasis in Baton Rouge, LA. This year he is interested in highlighting the Safe Place program again in hopes to get an in depth look at how our agencies provide resources to homeless youth nationally.

Maybe you've seen a Safe Place sign in your neighborhood. I know whenever I see one I smile. It's really a very cool and simple idea. When teens have a problem often they don't have anyplace to go. When a kid sees this sign they know that it is a "safe place" for them and they will be connected to real help. Gosh, I wonder how much that would have changed me when I was raising hell as a teenager?" -Mark Horvath

Horvath will be visiting Wichita Children's Home in Wichita, KS at the end of July. Toward the end of August, he will be visiting the National Safe Place office and YMCA Safe Place Services in Louisville, KY, as well as Homeward Bound/Brighton Center in Newport, KY. During his visit, Horvath will be exploring Safe Place's national approach to assist homeless youth as well as the efforts on the local level with street outreach and raising awareness about the issue.

Horvath has experienced first hand the depths of being homeless in America. After pushing himself off the streets, Horvath decided to give a face to the 'invisible people' among us by launching his website: Invisible People, where he shares short video clips of homeless people one at a time. His site has struck a cord with many for its raw visuals of homeless life. He utilizes the power of social media to draw attention to his cause and has gained a passionate following on Twitter with Invisible People and his personal account, @HardlyNormal. Amongst his followers are a diverse group of homeless advocates, non-profits, and people wanting to help make a change.

As Horvath interviews people, he inquires about their situation and usually ends with the question: "If you had three wishes, what would they be?" When having that same question countered to him, Horvath responds: "My first wish would be that people really see the reality of homelessness, and that we develop communities and work as a team to solve the problem."And the third: "I would like security and normalcy to my life, but with a name like HardlyNormal, it's never going to happen."

His outreachwork is gaining widespread attention. Ford Motor Company donated a vehicle for his 2010 Summer Road trip and most recently he won the Pepsi Refresh Grant for invisiblepeople.tv to help homeless people utilize social media to tell their story and help themselves out of poverty.

To learn more about Mark Horvath, check out his website: http://www.invisiblepeople.tv/ or you can follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hardlynormal and www.twitter.com/invisiblepeople