Several years ago when I first started as a librarian at the Central Library in downtown Fresno I was escorting a library customer named James towards the door at closing time; as we parted ways I said “Okay James, it’s time to go home.” As I came to know James and many other library customers in the years that followed, I learned just how presumptive I was being in saying this. From sleeping in the lobby of the police station to finding shelter in the entrance at a nearby credit union, James slept in a variety of places over the years before he eventually got a place of his own.
The idea for this documentary was initially inspired by curiosity. Where do library customers, similar to James in their status as homeless, go each day after the library closes? Are there unexpected day-to-day challenges with street life? Do people without a home have opinions specific to Fresno’s homeless policies? How does someone on the streets of Fresno picture their own future?
Our Lives: Surviving the Streets of Fresno shares both the unique story and the varied opinions of ten individuals directly affected by homeless policy in Fresno, California. Some were long-time residents of the encampments and are now living at Dakota EcoGarden, others stay at the "Pov" or Mission. One man simply sleeps “over by the tracks.”
This film was a collaboration between Fresno County Public Library and Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC). This production was supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Grant funds were used for library staff and individuals living on the streets to receive filmmaking training at CMAC. These funds also provided digital cameras for individuals on the streets to provide some of the photographic evidence used in the film.
Lisa Lindsay
Producer-Director
