The housing and homelessness crisis in Chatham-Kent will be in the spotlight thanks to a new film.
The documentary, called "Unhoused: Communities in Crisis," will be released on Friday, October 10.
Filmmakers Karissa and Kat Strain, professionally known as The Sisters Strain, have been working on the project for months.
The documentary will take a closer look at how the municipality and community is navigating the housing crisis, while highlighting the struggle for rural communities that are trying to combat a relatively new issue.
The sisters said they've learned a lot, and are hoping to amplify those voices that are working to make a difference.
"One thing we came to realize is, it's really easy when you're not involved in the day-to-day processes to think, 'no one's doing anything, nothing's happening,'" said Karissa and Kat. "But I think we've learned from a lot of different individuals, there's a lot of passionate people in this community who are doing a lot of things to try and help various social issues that we're facing, housing included."
The film features various municipal staff members and councillors, R.O.C.K. (Reach Out Chatham-Kent), Hope Haven, the Victoria Park Place Homeless Shelter, the Transitional Cabin Project now called Pathways on Park, a business located near the encampment, council meeting footage, as well as interviews with various unhoused community members.
The film will be screened for free this Friday at 8 pm at Tecumseh Park in Chatham, and Cogeco YourTV will be playing it at the same time.
