Staying Engaged while Staying at Home
Many of us find ourselves at home with extra time on our hands. We asked PHFS staff to share their favorite media that focus on housing, homelessness, anti-oppression, or social justice.
Title: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
Type: Book
Platform: Get the ebook from the library or buy from Powells online
Staff: Emma, Development Director
Synopsis: Matthew Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they each struggle to keep a roof over their heads…Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible. Source: https://www.evictedbook.com/
Title: Insecure
Type: TV Show
Platform: HBO
Staff: Brandi, Executive Director
Why she recommends it: This is a show on HBO about a black woman, Issa, who works at a nonprofit called "We Got Y'all." They provide after school programs and resources to black and brown kids in public schools. The nonprofit's leadership and the majority of their staff is white. The show really highlights how institutionally and systemically oppressive and racist nonprofits can be if they don't confront their white privilege and white savior complexes. Plus the cast is amazing!
Title: Little America
Type: TV Show
Platform: Apple TV
Staff: Lahela, Shelter Coordinator
Why she recommends it: Each episode is a beautiful true story of the success of immigrants in their own “little America”.
Title: The Motel Kids of Orange County
Type: Documentary
Platform: HBO
Staff: Carl, Housing Specialist
Why he recommends it: This documentary is set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and focuses on families who live out of motels. I feel like this doc reveals the complexity of families who are "stuck" paying to live in a temporary situation and not being able to find a long-term housing. Many of the families we work with are in situations just like this, with move in fees anywhere from $2-$3k before paying rent, utility hook up and service, phone, internet, food, clothing, child care, etc.
Title: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Type: Book
Platform: Get the ebook from the library or buy from Powells online
Staff: Brandi, Executive Director
Why she recommends it: Author Michelle Alexander confronts the reality that the election of Barack Obama did not signal a new era of colorblindness and that in fact racism, oppression, and slavery continue to this very day in America.
Title: Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
Type: Book
Platform: Get the ebook from the library or buy from Powells online
Staff: Brandi, Executive Director
Why she recommends it: A book by Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel & Dimed tells the story of an undercover journalist who investigates the impact of the 1996 welfare reform on people who experience poverty in this country. It does a great job of showing how hard it is to navigate social services and how expensive it is to be poor.
Title: Frontline: Poverty, Politics, and Profit
Type: TV
Platform: Stream on PBS for free
Staff: Tasha, Administrative Coordinator
Why she recommends it: This was an incredibly informative film about the complex issue of affordable housing. It brings to light the challenges and politics surrounding this issue and allows us to see first-hand stories from every day people.
Title: Priced Out
Type: Documentary
Platform: Watch on Vimeo or check out for free on Kanopy with a library card
Staff: Samuel, Housing & Prevention Specialist
Synopsis: Exploring the complexities and contradictions of gentrification, Priced Out is a heartbreaking vision of the history of housing discrimination in the nation's whitest city, and the personal impact it has had on residents. Source: https://www.pricedoutmovie.com/
Title: Still Processing
Type: Podcast
Platform: New York Times, wherever you get your podcasts
Staff: Emma, Development Director
Why she recommends it: Still Processing is a pop culture podcast where they analyze everything with a social justice lens. It’s entertaining and so smart.
Title: Trigger Warning with Killer Mike
Type: TV Show
Platform: Netflix
Staff: Samuel, Housing & Prevention Specialist
Why he recommends it: The first episode of Trigger Warning with Killer Mike on Netflix is a really great, and entertaining, look at the effects and reality historic and systemic racism in the US.
Do you have recommendations to add to this list? Let us know!
