Over the past few months, we’ve been blown away by the response to Safe. This 2021 documentary by John Butler, which explores the housing and opioid crises through the stories of Indwell tenants, was shown in Hamilton, Mississauga, Chatham-Kent, London, St. Thomas, Kitchener, Simcoe and Woodstock during February and March. Audiences have consistently shown compassionate engagement with tenants’ stories, and keen interest in safe, permanent, affordable, andsupportive housing.
Filmmaker John Butler states:
Through the process of making this film, and seeing it gain traction outside of the Indwell community, I’ve learned how important the issues surrounding affordable housing are to most people. We often don’t know what to do about the problem, or where to go if we need help, but seeing tenants and staff talk about housing and supportive care openly in an accessible way is the first step in growth as a country. Listening and understanding will lead to solutions, and Indwell has been one of the leaders in this space; they have the on- the-ground experience that can bridge the gap between shelters/encampments and affordable homes in communities well beyond Southern and Southwestern Ontario.
Watch the Safe documentary on John’s YouTube channel here.
