This letter was included in the March 20th edition of Joshua’s House newsletter.
Another Documentary about homelessness? Yes, but this one is different, and not because it provides a new and compelling solution, but because it doesn’t. We often see documentaries about complex issues employ the tried-and-true problem/solution style of filmmaking. This style starts with a problem, the solution is presented, and then there is a call to action which leaves the audience feeling warm and fuzzy because as they walk out of the movie theater, they believe the problem will be solved through collective action and policy change. We have all seen An Inconvenient Truth, and how is the climate crisis going? Not well! How should we treat our planet, is a question not unlike, how should we treat each other? The reality – of course – is before we can begin to fix problems as complex and broad as housing insecurity, we must first address the many prejudices around homelessness.
Today, popular terms like “open drug market,” or “homeless by choice” are narratives, that are not only damaging but founded in a deeply flawed understanding of homelessness. Even the best-intentioned people often point to addiction and mental health as the causes of homelessness. While we often find some truth in stereotypes, that does not change the fact that these are weaponized ideas designed to debase and alienate. In the United States, 60% of American’s live paycheck-to-paycheck, and while some may traffic in ideas of moral superiority or the bourgeoisie, the truth is, we are all one emergency away from being without housing.
The aim of Unhoused Neighbors is to challenge the many stereotypes homelessness is plagued by. To effect sustainable change in this area, people must first recognize a simple reality, the unhoused community is not a monolith, they are a demographic as diverse as any; they are multidimensional people, just like everybody else. Unfortunately, our society struggles to comprehend this fact, due to systemic prejudice and the structural classism our culture is built upon. This is why hearing firsthand accounts from the unhoused community is a powerful way to educate, inform, and hopefully trigger a cognitive shift in how homelessness is perceived so we stop dehumanizing and demoralizing an entire group of individuals that just need a place to call home.
Unhoused Neighbors begins production next month, with the start of Spring, and will continue until the end of Winter, in March of 2024. This will allow the filmmakers a window into how each season impacts the homeless community. The film will tell the stories of individuals at various ages and stages of life, from transitional age youth, adulthood, middle age, and terminal illness. Unhoused Neighbors has partnered with Joshua’s House and during the final season in the film, Winter, the film will follow some terminally ill homeless men and women as they receive comfort care and hospice care in the first program to provide such care to this population on the West Coast.
Unhoused Neighbors has also partnered with Break the Gap, which is acting as its principle fiscal sponsor. We are currently fundraising and need your help!
Please donate so this important film can be made!