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Social Services in Canada (38)
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19 DaysAsha Siad & Roda Siad 2016 26 minThis short documentary follows several refugee families during their first 19 days in Canada, as they navigate an unfamiliar terrain that has suddenly become their home. Located in the quiet Calgary neighbourhood of Bridgeland, the Margaret Chisholm Resettlement Centre is the starting point for government-assisted refugees who arrive in the city. During the 19-day timeline established by the federal government, an initial assessment is done and refugees are assisted with everything from airport reception and orientation to referrals, documents, and counselling.19 Days reveals the human side of the refugee resettlement process. A unique look at the global migration crisis and one particular stage of asylum, it lays plain the realities faced on the difficult road towards integration.
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Here At Home: Not ChosenSarah Fortin 2012 2 minFor every housed participant, another remains homeless. Wandering the empty corridors of his shelter, Valère reveals his struggle with HIV/AIDS, and his longing for a home of his own.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here at Home: The Wound InsideDarryl Nepinak 2012 3 minLukas makes his rounds as a caseworker, delivering meds, gifts and good cheer to participants while exposing the dark history behind the addiction issues that plague Winnipeg's Aboriginal homeless population.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: Where I BelongLouiselle Noël 2012 3 minLise has been living with schizophrenia for years, some of them spent in dangerous housing conditions. Now she’s selling her paintings in a Moncton marketplace and celebrating her new home.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: EvictedManfred Becker 2012 4 minOn the verge of being evicted, Theresa heads out to work panhandling on a familiar patch of concrete in downtown Toronto. Confiding in her caseworker, Bouchra, Theresa blames herself for her eviction and delivers a startling revelation.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: A New LeaseSarah Fortin 2012 3 minDetermined to go to NYC to reconnect with a famous actor, Simon is radically altering his life. He’s quit hard drugs, prostitution and crime and is moving into a new apartment.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: A Model PersonLynne Stopkewich 2012 2 minMr. MadDogg gives the lowdown on drugs, friendship and the street as he whips up breakfast for 100 fellow residents at the Bosman Hotel.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Au Chic Resto PopTahani Rached 1991 1 h 24 minThis feature-length film about poverty in Montreal is set against a soundtrack that includes rap, blues, rock, and country and western music. The film deals with the universal themes of hunger, hope and love and is named after an actual Montreal restaurant that's been serving those in need for over 25 years. In French with English subtitles.
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Here at Home: Honestly PainfulManfred Becker 2012 3 minHaunted by visions of his father, Mark thought he’d won the jackpot when he discovered he was going to be housed. But now, safe and secure in his apartment, he’s overwhelmed by a new fear – will he lose his home when the study ends?
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: Will to liveLouiselle Noël 2012 2 minAfter years on the edge, Hector now has a place to live, a job and a beloved dog. Shuttling farm hands to work, he remembers the life he lost and worries about his homeless son.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: Life Isn't EasySarah Fortin 2012 5 minCovering everything from bug bites to welding to drug use, Dr. Plante counsels participants with a mixture of tough love and compassion in this glimpse of her at work.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Here At Home: Money Changes YouManfred Becker 2012 4 minAfter more than 20 years on the street, James has doubts about living indoors. Struggling to master the appliances in his new apartment, he reflects upon pizza, cockroaches and the syndromes of modern industrial society.
This short film is a chapter from Here At Home, a web documentary about mental health and homelessness that takes us inside the Mental Health Commission of Canada's At Home pilot project. -
Bevel Up: Chapter 2 - Wheels & BarryNettie Wild 2019 6 min“Wheels” drinks from his wheelchair in a park. Barry sells and injects drugs in the alleys. The outreach nurses establish relationships with both to encourage ongoing care.
*Watch the complete documentary.
*View all 10 educational playlists.
*Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter. -
Bevel Up: Chapter 4 - Becky & LizNettie Wild 2019 18 minStreet nurses Caroline Brunt and Sarah Levine find a homeless mother and daughter under a truck. Becky is seriously ill from an injection-related infection and is withdrawing from heroin. Her daughter, Liz, is pregnant and using “rock” cocaine. The nurses struggle to find them housing for the night as they negotiate with Becky to get health care and address her need for drugs.
*Watch the complete documentary.
*View all 10 educational playlists.
*Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter. -
Bevel Up: Chapter 3 - LindaNettie Wild 2019 1 minStreet Nurse Liz James tries to stop Linda, who’s high on drugs, from falling into traffic. Liz offers to help Linda get into an emergency shelter. Linda tells Liz to go away.
*Watch the complete documentary.
*View all 10 educational playlists.
*Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter. -
Blood and FireTerence Macartney-Filgate 1958 29 minThis short documentary by Terence Macartney-Filgate focuses on the men and women who dedicated their lives and service to the Salvation Army. Part of the Candid Eye series.
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Bevel Up - Drugs, Users and Outreach NursingNettie Wild 2007 45 minBevel Up follows street nurses as they reach out to people working in the sex trade, and people who use drugs in the alleys and hotels of Vancouver’s inner city. Most importantly the nurses reflect on the attitudes they bring to their work—attitudes that can make or break their relationships with the people to whom they provide practical, non-judgemental health care on a daily basis.
The Bevel Up Educational Playlists offer viewers a dynamic way to learn through more than four hours of additional footage, interviews and a Teachers Guide. The interactive resource gives students and instructors in the healthcare field access to the experiences of practitioners who work with people who use drugs in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
For more information, images, and clips, click here. -
Beyond KicksGary Toole 1972 28 minIn the early 1970s, a group of young volunteers, the Free Youth Clinic of Winnipeg, operated a "crisis bus" to rescue young people experiencing bad drug trips, usually from LSD. This film documents the activities of the volunteers: responding to and treating emergencies, whatever the hour, and obtaining further medical aid for their patients, if required.
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Encounter with Saul Alinsky - Part 1: CYC TorontoPeter Pearson 1967 28 minThis documentary short captures a lively confrontation between the American community organizer and writer Saul Alinsky, and members of the Company of Young Canadians (CYC). Among other topics, the parties argue and disagree about the means and costs of securing social change.
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Film and YouJean Palardy & Donald Peters 1948 21 minHow film councils are organized, and what they can do for the community are shown. Different people like different films--for instance, Grandpa, who goes to sleep during a sequence on kitchen planning, wakes joyfully at the sound of a square dance. But all groups agree that they want films on their programs, if they can get them, and that is where the film council comes in. Animation shows how a council is set up, and how a number of organizations in an area can collaborate in buying a projector. We see projectionist training, and the public library becoming a distribution centre for films as well as books. Finally we see film in action, as a variety of successful community projects are carried out, each directly the result of film showings.
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Four Feet UpNance Ackerman 2009 46 minIn this personal documentary, award-winning photographer and filmmaker Nance Ackerman invites us into the lives of a determined family for a profound experience of child poverty in one of the richest countries in the world. 20 years after the House of Commons promised to eliminate poverty among Canadian children, 8-year-old Isaiah is trying hard to grow up healthy, smart and well adjusted despite the odds stacked against him. Isaiah knows he's been categorized as "less fortunate," and his short life has seen more than his share of social workers, food banks and police interventions. His parents struggle to overcome a legacy of stereotypes, abuse and dysfunction. More than anything, they want Isaiah and his siblings to have access to opportunities they never had. Ackerman spent 2 years with Isaiah and his family. As her portrait of the family unfolds with the help of Isaiah's creative input, curiosity and zest for life, so do Ackerman's own feelings about the responsibilities of Canadians to raise all children as our best investment in the nation's future.
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Halifax Neighbourhood Center ProjectRex Tasker 1967 33 minShows a campaign launched in Halifax in 1967 to probe the core of poverty in that city--low incomes, ill health and inadequate housing affect more than twelve thousand people in the central area. The project combines the efforts of local agencies with those of government agencies to alleviate these conditions.
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The Interventionists: Chronicles of a Mental Health Crisis TeamKaterina Cizek 2006 31 minEllen is a mental health nurse. Brandon is a specially trained policeman. Together, they ride the streets of Toronto responding to 911 police calls involving “emotionally distressed persons.” Their mandate is not only to de-escalate crises, but to avoid unnecessary arrests and emergency room visits by providing appropriate referrals, services and resources within a patient's own community.
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Le Patro Le Prévost 80 Years LaterAlanis Obomsawin 1991 29 minAlanis Obomsawin turns her lens to Le Patro Le Prévost, a recreational centre in the Villeray quarter of Montreal. On the eve of its 80th anniversary in 1989, Le Patro is a vital focal point in the predominantly working-class neighbourhood. Beloved by the many generations who use the facilities and partake in activities daily, Le Patro encourages a strong sense of togetherness through principles of cooperation, respect and sharing. Obomsawin presents a tender portrait of a neighbourhood of diverse residents and the community centre many of them consider a second home.
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Night ChildrenBernard Devlin 1956 30 minThis short drama presents the story of a case worker with a Children's Aid Society and the children she helps. Working round the clock, the Society receives appeals of every sort. The film shows how the Society follows through in the case of a little girl found wandering alone on downtown streets at night and in other cases of children abandoned, uncared for, the victims of their environment.
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No AddressAlanis Obomsawin 1988 55 minFar from home and cut off from family and friends, Montreal’s Indigenous homeless population is the focus of No Address. Dreams of a better life in the big city can be met with harsh realities, as the individuals in this documentary recount. Often trying to flee circumstances created by colonialism and the effects of assimilation, the First Nations and Inuit people in this work share frank stories about their lives and the paths that took them to the streets of Montreal. Alanis Obomsawin presents an honest, stark portrayal of endemic homelessness while giving voice to those so often overlooked or made invisible on the streets of every city in Canada.
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Poundmaker's Lodge: A Healing PlaceAlanis Obomsawin 1987 29 minJust north of the City of Edmonton lies Poundmaker’s Lodge, an addiction and mental-health facility specializing in treatment for Indigenous people. Founded in 1973 and still operational today, the Lodge’s programs and services are Indigenous-run and based in culturally appropriate recovery and healing techniques. Framing the short documentary with the words of the great Plains Cree Chief Pîhtokahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker), Alanis Obomsawin presents a frank examination of the root causes of substance abuse in Indigenous communities and how the absence of love and support – exacerbated by the impacts of colonialism and racism – created a legacy of alcoholism for some individuals.
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The Point: Community Legal ClinicGrant Kennedy 1972 27 minCitizens of Point St. Charles, a bilingual district in Montréal's inner city, found a solution to the lack of adequate legal aid in their community by forming a legal clinic with salaried lawyers and student volunteers from university law faculties. In this film citizens and volunteers talk about the project, how it was initiated, and how it now serves the needs of people who lack the money for the fees of legal professionals.
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Reflections on Practice: Why Outreach?Nettie Wild 2007 1 minStreet nurses Caroline Brunt and Liz James talk about how providing health care on the street is like throwing people a lifeline.
*Watch the complete documentary.
*View all 10 educational playlists.
*Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter. -
Reflections on Practice: People in ContextNettie Wild 2007 1 minIs the drug world scary? According to street nurse Caroline Brunt, understanding what drug(s) the person is using is important, but the ultimate goal is to connect, with the individuals using those drugs and providing the necessary health care that’s needed.
*Watch the complete documentary.
*View all 10 educational playlists.
*Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter. -
Reflections on Practice: Dueling AgendasNettie Wild 2007 2 minStreet nurse Caroline Brunt talks about what happens when her health-care agenda clashes with the needs of the person she is caring for.
*Watch the complete documentary.
*View all 10 educational playlists.
*Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter. -
Reflections on Practice: SafetyNettie Wild 2007 2 minStreet nurse Caroline Brunt and nursing-practice consultant Mary Adlersberg offer safety strategies for nurses working on the streets.
*Watch the complete documentary.
*View all 10 educational playlists.
*Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter. -
SalvationRosemary House 2001 50 minThis documentary portrays the front-line street workers who serve the needy under the umbrella of the Salvation Army. One of the world's largest social agencies, the Army is a religious institution that serves the practical needs of people first, believing that religion is of no use to anyone who is hungry, homeless and hopeless.
Join filmmaker Rosemary House as she peers into the hearts and minds of people on both sides of the street – those who help and those who need help. Shot in Toronto at Christmastime, the film chronicles the small hopes and tiny victories of life lived below the poverty line and the daily rewards for those who work to serve others. -
Topics: Pregnancy & DrugsNettie Wild 2007 7 minSarah Payne is the senior practice leader at the Fir Square Combined Care Unit with the BC Women’s Hospital. She describes an open-door harm-reduction philosophy where she and her colleagues advocate for providing support to keep mothers who use drugs and their babies together; she also discusses the effects of illicit drugs on babies.
*Watch the complete documentary.
*View all 10 educational playlists.
*Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter. -
Topics: Aboriginals & DrugsNettie Wild 2007 6 minChee Mamuk Program Manager Lucy Barney explains her theory of THE BRAID — how First Nations weave together culture and health to deal with drug use in their communities. She talks about why many First Nations people who use drugs do not access mainstream clinics.
*Watch the complete documentary.
*View all 10 educational playlists.
*Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter. -
Topics: Beyond the CityNettie Wild 2007 10 minCommunity health nurse Wendy Bradley (Yukon) and nurse educator Gayle Carriere (BC Interior Health Authority) describe drug use in rural areas and how they deal with the challenges of working in isolation and confronting stigma.
*Watch the complete documentary.
*View all 10 educational playlists.
*Explore the Teacher's Guide for this chapter. -
Up Against the SystemTerence Macartney-Filgate 1969 19 minPeople on welfare are rarely heard. What do they go through? How do they feel? How do concerned social and welfare workers feel about the welfare system? What is welfare supposed to do? In this film, welfare recipients and social case workers talk about the problems of being "up against the system."
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Wards of the CrownAndrée Cazabon 2005 42 minThis film examines the lives of 4 young people who grew up in the child welfare system. It is also a critical exposé of a system that couldn't meet their needs, as well as a stirring tribute to the strength, courage and resilience of these foster kids.