"[M]oving and compelling...illustrates homelessness as a consequence of policymaking, not personal choice." Emmy Tiderington, Assoc Prof, Social Work, Rutgers Univ

Seen primarily through the eyes of women and children of color living through housing insecurity in California's Alameda County, A RISING TIDE aims to identify how and why homelessness occurs.

The film juxtaposes the perspectives of various stakeholders affected by the "affordable-housing industrial complex," capturing the adversity faced by homeless families in Oakland and exploring the plight of service providers and social workers on the frontlines of the housing crises.

In the Bay Area minimum wage employment doesn't afford families—particularly those of color—the basic necessities for raising their children in decent housing with childcare, food, transportation, and adequate health care. The consequences of this deprivation increase wildly when homelessness is prolonged due to systemic failures and policy-based deficiencies.

The film highlights the historical context that has directly caused and continues to exacerbate the demographics of segregation in California.

Ultimately, A RISING TIDE aims to shift the narrative, challenging a commonly held misconception—including by some professionals working on affordable housing solutions—that unhoused individuals are all addicts or suffering from mental health issues. It also asks what considerations should be addressed to serve the unhoused when cities and counties are planning new housing.



Grade Level: 10 - 12, College, Adults
US Release Date: 2024     Copyright Date: 2023
DVD ISBN: 1-961192-25-X

Reviews "A deeply engaging film that paints a portrait of current day homelessness and poverty in a Californian community. Importantly, Rising Tide speaks to the country's structural racial discrimination and injustices that have set the stage for the current housing and homelessness disaster." Dr. Jeff Karabanow, Professor and Associate Director of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Author, Homeless Youth and the Search for Stability "A moving and compelling documentary that powerfully illustrates homelessness as a consequence of policymaking, not personal choice. By putting faces to the lived experiences of housing insecurity, it offers a profound and necessary perspective on this pressing issue that will be useful to instructors, students, and policy advocates." Emmy Tiderington, Associate Professor of Social Work, Lead Cluster Champion, Rutgers Housing and Health Equity, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey "A Rising Tide does an excellent job of situating California's homelessness crisis within the larger structural forces that have led people, especially people of color, to become unhoused. This film blends human stories with history and clear explanations of how homelessness and housing systems work, as well as measured critiques of how those systems still all far short in responding to need. It is an excellent introduction to the topic for both undergraduate and graduate courses in housing policy, social work, public policy, and/or homelessness." Carolina Reid, Professor in Affordable Housing and Urban Policy, University of California, Berkeley "This is a beautiful, critically conscious film. I deeply appreciate how A Rising Tide shares the real stories of folks experiencing homelessness, providing them with a platform to show their power and the complexity of their experiences. Homelessness is a symptom of racism and wealth inequality, and this realization is fundamental to our understanding of this social problem. I look forward to sharing this film with students and audiences, and recommending it for others to do the same." Rashida Crutchfield, Professor of Social Work, Executive Director, The Center for Equitable Higher Education, California State University-Long Beach