Documentary, 60 min.
Nomad Productions, 2010
Diane Nilan, Producer
Laura Vazquez, Director
Available from HEAR US Inc.
Booklist Online Reviews, Published Jan. 2012
“After you’ve been homeless, you will do whatever is in your power to keep from being homeless again,”
remarks one of the down-but-not-quite-out subjects in this heartbreaking documentary, which puts a human face on homelessness. In candid interviews, seven women share their tales of homelessness, telling about circumstances that led to their rootless existence and their attempts to find sleeping arrangements with friends or in cheap hotels and shelters, all the while trying to get themselves back on their feet.
Experts address legal, social, and child-development issues and present staggering statistics (a single mother of two working a minimum-wage job would have to work 120 hours a week just to afford an apartment).
The film is straightforward rather than sensationalistic, making the women’s stories even more powerful. Use this in community groups and classrooms to spur discussions about this widespread problem.
— Donald Liebenson
Discussion Guide, download (pdf) http://hearus.us/pdf/OTE_DG.pdf
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