Our Voices: Team Connected Documentaries Research Overview | Successes and 5 Myths Regarding Homelessness
Our Voices: Team Connected Documentaries Research Overview | Successes and 5 Myths Regarding Homelessness
Purpose of this post by Team Connected in Lakes Region:
Primary: The primary purpose is to positively address human beings without a home in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire responding to this relevant question:
Secondary purpose: To present a question regarding the effectiveness and feasibility of producing a long form MOS (man on the street) documentary (60:00 minutes); developed from a short video interviews of human beings without homes currently living in the Lakes Region:
• outside in camps,
• in cars,
• on a couch or in a basement of a dwelling of a friend or relative;
• and temporarily in local shelters.
Third purpose: To research and collect sources for documentaries already produced on people without homes throughout the country addressing the question: Is a documentary a feasible project in the Lakes Region ?
Readers may decide for themselves. The large number of views of those documentaries serves as a witness that Americans are very interested in hearing the voices of those impacted by homelessness in their communities.
5 Myths of Homelessness Nationwide
Introductory Approach from Wilmington; a Municipality with some Common Attributes of the Lakes Region:
Consider: Although a larger population than the Lakes Region, conditions of human beings in Wilmington, DE living without a home is strikingly similar to those folks living in Lakes Region NH.
“… If you talk to downtown Wilmington business owners, you’ll hear some common complaints: aggressive panhandling, public urination or defecation, and people sleeping in doorways overnight.
These are real frustrations for people trying to run shops, restaurants, and offices. But too often, the public conversation stops there—focusing on visible symptoms while ignoring the root causes. That’s where harmful myths creep in, shaping public opinion and public policy in ways that can make the problem worse instead of better.
Here are five of the most persistent myths about unsheltered homeless people—and the truths that challenge them.
1. Myth: Homeless people are lazy and just don't want to work.
Truth: Many unsheltered people do work—often full-time—but still can’t afford housing. The gap between wages and rent has widened dramatically, especially in cities like Wilmington. Others face barriers: no ID, no way to shower, no transportation. Imagine job hunting with none of those things. Laziness isn’t the issue—survival is.
2. Myth: Homelessness is caused by bad personal choices.
Truth: Mental health and addiction can be factors, but they’re not the root cause. The real drivers are structural: lack of affordable housing, stagnant wages, rising rents, and medical or family emergencies. As of July 2025, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in New Hanover County is $1,351. That means a worker would need to earn nearly $26 per hour, full-time to afford rent without being housing cost-burdened. Many of us are one or two crises away from being unhoused ourselves. That’s not a scare tactic—it’s reality.
3. Myth: People choose to be homeless.
Truth: No one “chooses” to sleep on concrete. Shelters are often full, perceived to be unsafe, or have strict rules—like separating families, banning pets, or requiring religious participation. LGBTQ+ youth are especially vulnerable after being rejected by family. Young adults who have aged out of foster care can’t afford a place to live. For many, sleeping outside isn’t a choice—it’s the only option left.
4. Myth: Homeless people are dangerous or criminal.
Truth: People experiencing homelessness are far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators. Stereotypes about danger increase fear and discrimination, but they’re not backed by evidence. Most are just trying to stay safe, warm, and unseen.
5. Myth: If we provide services for people, they’ll come from other places to take advantage of our kindness.
Truth: Research from communities across the country, including the Cape Fear Continuum of Care, shows that the overwhelming majority of people served are local residents who lost housing in that same community. The “magnet” effect is largely a myth—it’s housing costs, not free meals, that drive where people live. In fact, cutting services doesn’t make people leave—it just increases suffering right where they are.
✅ Call to Action: Speak Up Before We Criminalize Poverty
Wilmington City Councilmember Luke Waddell is proposing an ordinance that would ban sleeping in cars in public parking spaces, along with other activities that are already illegal under other ordinances. It targets people who literally have nowhere else to go. It’s not a solution. It’s a punishment.
💡 Solutions That Work
Homelessness is not inevitable. Cities across the country have reduced it through proven strategies: permanent supportive housing, low-barrier shelters, mental health and addiction services, and fair wages. “Housing first” approaches—getting people into stable homes before addressing other challenges—are especially effective.
We know what works. What’s missing is the political leadership to act—and the public pressure to demand it.
💛 Local Resources to Support
Want to help in a practical way? These local organizations are doing the work every day:
COMING SOON …
Final Thought: Let’s Choose Compassion Over Convenience
We can’t fine people into stability. We can’t police them into housing. And we can’t pretend the problem goes away when it’s out of sight or moved to another part of town.
But we can show up. We can speak up. We can demand better from our leaders—and from ourselves.
We owe it to our unsheltered neighbors. And honestly, we owe it to our future selves.
We need your voice.
_________
Some Examples of Documentaries and Short Form Video Interviews of Homelessness in American cities | With Large Reach and Viewers
https://youtu.be/eVAtckppiKY?feature=shared
Documentary
Over the course of a few weeks filmmaker and extreme adventurer, Paul Suggitt made himself homeless to film a documentary of what life is like living on the streets and the impact it can have on a person.
From turf wars, violence between the homeless, violence towards the homeless, true stories from homeless people on how they manage to live day-to-day, and the reaction to the homeless from the public, living on the streets is very tough.
Homeless charities are reporting record numbers of people needing help with food, clothing and accommodation, so what is it really like to live on the streets?
All homeless people featured in the documentary were provided with support outside of filming to help them find accommodation and they were provided with a dedicated outreach person to liaise with the authorities on their behalf.
Documentary
Hungry For Love is a forty-five minute documentary about the daily needs and struggles of the homeless population in parts of North Carolina. Through this film, we travel to Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas. We take a look at what the daily struggles of homelessness are, and how they get by day after day. We dive into personal stories, and struggles. This is homelessness in North Carolina.
https://youtu.be/9Gposvq8s_w?feature=shared
Invisible People documentary
Behind every homeless person is a story. How did they end up living on the streets? How do they survive and what are their expectations for the future?
Mark Horvath has experienced the highs and lows of the American dream - from a successful career in TV to barely surviving, homeless and addicted, on Hollywood Boulevard. When he made it off the streets, he set out to film the stories of America’s homeless and draw attention to their lives.
Invisible People Short Form videos
When I went to visit Rockey at her tent, she started to show me how she made a gate to keep people out. I wasn't yet set up with my camera but I started recording video. Rockey shows me how she ties a rope to the gate and then sleeps with the rope so if anyone tries to get in, she'll feel it and wake up. Homeless people and especially homeless women are constantly of being attacked. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THAT!
Some of you may remember Rockey from our behind the scenes vlog on the virtual reality movie made possible through a partnership with Oculus's VR For Good, film director Rose Troche, and Invisible People.
Rockey has lived homeless in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County for over three years. She has lived in this tent for about a year. Rockey says she had to make it as much of a home as possible.
Rockey had a bad turn of events that snowballed until she had no choice but to live in a tent. Rockey doesn't want to draw off the system forever. She wants to work. Rockey wants to be like normal people. Go home at the end of the day. Have a meal and watch television.
Rockey says life can change in an instant. If you don't have money to pay rent, you're going to try to survive. You build a tent. You get a trap. You grab cardboard. You do anything to keep yourself warm at night.
We are all vulnerable. We can all see how quickly are lives can change and have changed in the past year!!!!
https://youtu.be/t9dmp3H8Bj8?feature=shared
Kim became homeless after falling behind on property taxes. She lived outside through winter, got bronchitis twice, and struggled just to find water, food, or toilet paper. "I'm not here by choice," she said. "Life shouldn't be like this."
Brent worked most of his life as a law clerk. After he lost his job, Brent lost his place to stay, and then he blew the engine on his truck. Brent never thought he'd be homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. Brent looks for work, but no one wants to hire a …
Around ten years ago, homeless service providers started to prioritize helping homeless people based on what's known as a Vulnerability Index. These days there are other tools like the VI-SPDAT but the theory is the same people who are more …
Some comments:
I aged out of foster care two years ago. I was instantly homeless, the second I turned 18 at midnight on St Patrick's day of 2016. No one gave a care.
"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Hebrews 13:2
Sometimes someone showing me an act of kindness or even just looking at me like I wasn't invisible was sometimes a difference between life and death for me. So grateful for people like you.
Too many of us are one paycheck away from being in the same position as these people.
The most sad thing about homelessness, is that no one even thinks about it, until it happens to them!
We are all one paycheck/mistake away from being in the same situation. Nobody is above losing everything.
Homelessness. It’s one of the most challenging problems we face as a society. It’s also one of the most solvable.
The first step to solving homelessness is acknowledging that its victims are people. Regular people. Fathers. Mothers. Veterans. Whole families. Folks who fell on hard times and lost their core foundation of being human – their homes.
Take a moment and watch any video on this page. We’re confident you’ll think differently about homelessness after just one.
https://invisiblepeople.tv/
Simba (street name) met his wife fishing. I love that. Sadly, Simba's wife was very sick from complications with diabetes. She needed a kidney transplant. Simba's wife was on the transplant list at USC Medical Center, but while she was waiting for a donor, her health got worse.
The emotional stress of being her caregiver was hard enough; when his wife died, Simba became severely depressed. He started to self medicate with marijuana to help him sleep. This was four years ago, and people's views of marijuana were much different then. Today, it probably would not even be an issue, but Simba's landlord used his cannabis use to evict him.
Simba is homeless in Venice Beach, California. He's a gentle, kind man who should not be living on the streets in his senior years. Elderly homelessness is growing at alarming rates. Boomers are hitting 65 at 10,000 people a day, and many lost everything in the 2008 recession. The coronavirus pandemic is going to make things even worse.
Simba's first night homeless he slept on a bench at a Metrolink station. He woke up without his wife and best friend, and without a home. A first night homeless is something no one should experience.
Simba's story is powerful and heartbreaking. I appreciate his candor when I asked him about living homeless as a senior. For many of us growing older, incontinence — the loss of bladder control — is a common and often embarrassing problem. Now imagine living on the streets without bathrooms or privacy, or the ability to change into clean clothes. Elderly homelessness is a serious crisis, and we need you to help take action to end homelessness.
https://youtu.be/nLkRvfIQ90c?feature=shared
At this Invisible People YouTube channel, there are over 30 short videos of stories across the country of folks without a home. That team has conducted over 800 interviews with now over 300,000,000 views on YouTube since 2017.
https://youtube.com/@invisiblepeople?feature=shared
Here are two more with descriptions:
Vincent has lived homeless on the streets of San Francisco since 2017. He got in a fight with his landlord and lost the place where he was living. Vincent says when he first became homeless in the Tenderloin, he didn't give it the attention it deserved to get back into housing. Vincent says he didn't realize the streets: "sucked you in and kept you there. It's like crabs in a bucket trying to get out of the streets."
Prior to homelessness, Vincent was two quarters away from receiving a Doctor of Chiropractic degree in California. Now he's fighting for survival just trying to keep his head above water.
Vincent says social services have been great. He says the biggest challenge is other homeless people. Live on the streets is hard so everyone is in survival mode! Many are just looking out for themselves. They have to.
Vincent has tried to keep working but people keep stealing his stuff. He says four times people walked off with his phone!
Vincent does delivery work or whatever he can to survive. When I mentioned those jobs don't pay enough to cover the cost of an apartment, Vincent responded he is not even thinking about rent. The affordable housing crisis has hit San Francisco hard. Unless you make a lot of money, you cannot afford a place to live here.
When I asked Vincent for his three wishes, he got emotional. This is now the second time this has happened out of almost 800 interviews. I asked Vincent if it was the question or just being interviewed. He responded that it's maybe a combination. When he thought of his son, that was the trigger, not the question. As I stated the last time this happened, I work on being more sensitive and I may not end with the three wishes question. Obviously, I may not have read this situation. But any question about his family would be a trigger.
Vincent seems like a great guy. He's intelligent and he knows how to hustle. I hope he gets off the streets soon. Homelessness has a way of changing people who are on the streets for too long. We need to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place and if a person falls into homelessness, we need to get them off the streets as quickly as possible!
Eileen is 61 years old. She's from Rhode Island but relocated to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, after a friend's friend promised a room. To rent, but the situation didn't work out, so Eileen and her friend are back out on the street homeless. Now they are stranded. Eileen and her friend are new to Harrisburg. It's an unfamiliar city, and now they don't have the funds to go anywhere. Right now, Eileen is not sure what they are going to do.
When I first met Eileen, she was in desperate need of eyeglasses. My friend Cody did a great job telling the story of our day in Harrisburg and going to the store to get Eileen glasses
Eileen shares very candidly about the affordable housing crisis. She says she cannot find a room to rent or to share that she can afford. The housing that social services offer that comes at a very discounted rent is over rundown or in a bad neighborhood. Many communities now are scrambling to build new affordable housing and housing for seniors, but it's not even close to enough. Often nonprofits are forced to deal with landlords that are offering apartments that barely make an inspection. What Eileen shares is often very true. She says it's crappy housing and a "big mega ripoff."
Eileen says she found an apartment for $700 a month that comes with all utilities paid even cable, but because she's homeless, she doesn't believe she'll get approved to live there.
https://youtu.be/hyCJ6HUfwB8?feature=shared
