poverty

“The Florida Project” — Homelessness at the End of the Rainbow

It’s up to advocates to connect this story of family homelessness to action

By Katie Bradley, project assistant, Seattle University’s Project on Family Homelessness

As the credits for The Florida Project rolled, I was floored. This movie made me cry while I sat in the theater, and I didn’t even cry when I saw Titanic for the first time as a child. A movie about a family living in poverty at an Orlando budget motel got to me in the most heart-wrenching way.

I had just seen a raw portrait of family homelessness set in contrast with the happiest place on earth, Disney World. It made me want to do something to help families living like those depicted in the film. But I felt lost with what I could do, and it left me with my head spinning.

Fortunately for me, I work with a bunch of people who think about family homelessness all the time, and we think that we may be able to connect audiences to action, which we will explore later. First, here’s a description of this remarkable film and what it says about family homelessness.

Bobby and Moonee on balcony — Bobby (Willem Dafoe) and Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), the two main characters in the movie, at the real-life Magic Castle budget hotel. Credit: IMDB.

The Florida Project is a breakout movie that depicts the struggles of living in poverty from a childhood perspective, set in a not-so-magical purple budget motel, the Magic Castle. The film depicts the often-unseen struggles of homelessness, which director and co-writer Sean Baker calls the “hidden homeless,” to represent the life of the modern-day “Little Rascals” who live a “life on the margins.” Continue reading →

November 21, 2017March 5, 2018 by catherinehinrichsen Categories: Family Homelessness, Films about Homelessness, Homelessness Among Schoolchildren, The Florida Project, Youth PovertyTags: advocacy, movies about homelessness, poverty, storytelling 3 Comments

Mental Illness — What About the Family?

Mental health head — Credit: A United Methodist Board of Church and Society web-only graphic by Michelle Whittaker.

By Khadija Diallo, Project Assistant, Project on Family Homelessness

Kianna is 17 years old. She suspects that she has depression. She only recently started experiencing symptoms of her mental illness, so she’s having a hard time adjusting. To complicate her situation, she’s homeless along with the rest of her family. Her parents lost their jobs in January and could no longer afford rent. They ended up having to move from shelter to shelter. Continue reading →

June 2, 2017July 7, 2017 by catherinehinrichsen Categories: Family Homelessness, Homelessness Among Schoolchildren, Youth PovertyTags: ACEs, advocacy, All Home, Firesteel, King County, mental health, mental illness, NAMI, poverty, seattle, special education 1 Comment

The Fight for Her Life — “Streetwise” and Keanna’s Triumphant Story

Editor’s Note: As part of our ongoing “Streetwise Revisited” work, our student project assistants are blogging about key events. Both Khadija and Shan wrote about the “Streetwise” screening; here’s how Khadija saw it.

By Khadija Diallo, project assistant, Seattle University Project on Family Homelessness

keanna-pickett-1 — Keanna Pickett, educator, photographer, social justice activist and daughter of Erin “Tiny” Blackwell.

Keanna Pickett said that she “had to fight for her life from her first breath.”

When Keanna said that at our campus screening of the film “Streetwise” Oct. 7, it stuck with me, because most of us fight to succeed and make something of our lives. But for Keanna, that quote had more meaning — because she said her mother, Erin “Tiny” Blackwell, while pregnant with her, did “every possible drug” to try to kill her in the womb.

That sort of revelation from her mother could have possibly caused a permanent rift in their relationship. Apparently it didn’t, because Keanna seemed perfectly comfortable talking about her difficult upbringing. Continue reading →

October 21, 2016October 28, 2016 by catherinehinrichsen Categories: Collaboration, Events, Family Homelessness, Films about Homelessness, Homelessness Among Schoolchildren, Journalism, Youth PovertyTags: poverty, resilience, storytelling, Streetwise, Tiny 5 Comments

Remembering “Streetwise” — Why We’re Revisiting the Classic Documentary

By Shan Yonamine, Project Assistant, Seattle University Project on Family Homelessness

streetwise-poster

When I joined this team a few months ago, I was given the chance to watch and react to films about youth and family homelessness. My favorite, by far, was “Streetwise.”

It has been over three decades since this revered documentary first stunned the American public; however, the legacy of the film lives on, as many of the social issues illuminated in the film remain extremely relevant today. After watching “Streetwise” I found that it is not only an artistic representation of youth homelessness in Seattle, but also a powerful tool for advocacy.

As a project, we recognize the historical poignancy of this film, and we will be hosting a free screening on Friday, Oct.7 at Seattle University for anyone who wants the opportunity to watch this significant documentary. This is part of The Seattle Public Library’s “Streetwise Revisited” project, and the screening is just one way we are supporting the project.

In “Streetwise,” renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark, her husband, Martin Bell and producer Cheryl McCall take us on a journey by providing us with a firsthand perspective on what it’s like to be a homeless youth living on the streets of Seattle – a perspective that was only made possible by spending months observing, building relationships with and gaining the trust of the children they chronicled.

Erin (who goes by her street name “Tiny”) on Pike Street, Seattle, 1983. Photo by Mary Ellen Mark.

After watching “Streetwise” for the first time, I was taken aback to say the least. The film is stunning, raw, heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time, which is not what I expected from a “documentary about youth homelessness in Seattle.” Continue reading →

October 3, 2016October 13, 2016 by catherinehinrichsen Categories: Events, Family Homelessness, Films about Homelessness, Homelessness Among Schoolchildren, Youth PovertyTags: domestic violence, poverty, seattle, storytelling, Streetwise, Tiny 5 Comments

New Infographics on Childhood Homelessness, Education, and Child Development

Like Infographics? Interested in visual representations of some of the issues that can accompany childhood homelessness and poverty? Then take a peek at the infographics we recently created for our seven-part series, “Homelessness and Poverty in the Public Education System.”

Learn more by reading the series on Firesteel’s website here.

We are always interested in how homelessness, poverty and stress affect child development and adult outcomes. Recent research into these relationships for our seven-part series “Homelessness and Poverty in the Public Education System” yielded not only great insights, but, thanks to the talents of our digital designer Krista Kent, nine new infographics. Continue reading →

September 25, 2014 by phungamy Categories: Family Homelessness, Homelessness Among Schoolchildren, Youth PovertyTags: childhood homelessness, education, Firesteel, infographics, poverty, special education 1 Comment