USA: Being Poor in the World's Richest Country | The Dark Side of the American Dream

00:51:35
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXmQF619Ggs

概要

TLDRThe video presents a poignant look at homelessness in America, focusing on individuals like Maria and Eric who live in their cars while working hard to survive. Maria, a cleaner and carer, has been homeless for a year after her marriage ended and rising rent costs made it impossible for her to find housing. The video highlights the daily struggles of those living in their vehicles, the support they receive from organizations, and the systemic issues that contribute to homelessness, such as evictions and lack of affordable housing. It contrasts the American dream with the harsh realities faced by millions, emphasizing the need for compassion and systemic change.

収穫

  • 🌅 Maria starts her day in her van, which is her home.
  • 💼 Many homeless individuals work hard to make ends meet.
  • 🚿 Access to showers is a critical need for those living in cars.
  • 🏠 Rising rent costs contribute to homelessness in California.
  • 🚨 Evictions in Virginia happen quickly and harshly.
  • 🍕 Eric collects leftover pizza to share with others in need.
  • 🥪 Volunteers provide free meals to children in Appalachia.
  • 📉 40 million Americans live below the poverty line.
  • 🏡 Elvis builds small houses for the homeless in Los Angeles.
  • 🤝 A 24-hour experience in Waco aims to foster empathy for the homeless.

タイムライン

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    Maria, a 54-year-old woman, begins her day in her van, which has become her home after losing her house. She maintains a routine to keep her living space organized despite the challenges of homelessness.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Around 30 others also sleep in their cars in the same parking lot, most of whom work in various jobs. Maria works as a cleaner and carer, doing exhausting work seven days a week.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    An organization provides basic amenities like water and portable toilets for those living in their cars, helping them maintain some semblance of normalcy in their lives.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    Maria reflects on her past life, where she had a home and a marriage, but after a divorce and rising living costs, she found herself homeless. She now relies on a gym for showers and exercise to keep up appearances for work.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    Despite the booming economy in America, many, including Maria, are struggling with poverty. The system is unforgiving, and many fear becoming homeless due to financial instability.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    Eric, a former computer engineer, now lives in his car after suffering health issues and losing his job. He collects leftover pizza to share with others in similar situations, highlighting the community aspect of their struggles.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:00

    Maria returns to her car after a long day of work, feeling exhausted but grateful for her job. She takes precautions to feel safe at night, showing the constant anxiety of living in her vehicle.

  • 00:35:00 - 00:40:00

    The documentary highlights the stark contrast between California's wealth and the growing number of people unable to afford housing, emphasizing the systemic issues contributing to homelessness.

  • 00:40:00 - 00:45:00

    In Virginia, evictions are rampant, with strict laws allowing landlords to evict tenants quickly, often leaving them with nowhere to go. This reflects the harsh realities faced by many Americans.

  • 00:45:00 - 00:51:35

    The film concludes by showcasing the efforts of individuals and organizations trying to combat poverty and homelessness, revealing the ongoing struggle for dignity and survival in America.

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マインドマップ

ビデオQ&A

  • What is Maria's living situation?

    Maria lives in her van and has been homeless for a year.

  • What kind of work does Maria do?

    Maria works as a cleaner and a carer.

  • How does Maria maintain her hygiene?

    Maria goes to a gym to shower and exercise.

  • What challenges do people like Maria face?

    They struggle with rising rent costs and the fear of becoming homeless.

  • What support do homeless individuals receive?

    Organizations provide water points, portable toilets, and kitchens.

  • What is the eviction situation in Richmond, Virginia?

    Richmond has one of the highest eviction rates in the U.S., with strict laws allowing quick evictions.

  • How do people in Appalachia cope with food insecurity?

    Volunteers provide free meals to children during the summer when school meals are unavailable.

  • What is the role of food stamps in America?

    Food stamps help low-income families afford food, but cuts to the program are being proposed.

  • What is Elvis's initiative in Los Angeles?

    Elvis builds small wooden houses for homeless individuals to provide them with shelter.

  • What is the purpose of the 24-hour homelessness experience in Waco, Texas?

    It aims to create empathy and understanding of homelessness among participants.

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  • 00:00:02
    In Southern California, the sun rises
  • 00:00:04
    over San Diego Bay.
  • 00:00:09
    Next to a parkway in this parking lot,
  • 00:00:12
    54year-old Maria begins her day.
  • 00:00:18
    Straighten my bed.
  • 00:00:22
    This car is her home.
  • 00:00:25
    [Music]
  • 00:00:28
    This is every day.
  • 00:00:30
    This routine about stretching my bed.
  • 00:00:36
    Maria no longer has a place to live.
  • 00:00:39
    She's been sleeping in her van for a
  • 00:00:41
    year now.
  • 00:00:46
    Looks pretty nice. You don't you don't
  • 00:00:50
    see it doesn't seem that you live here,
  • 00:00:52
    but um you do. I have seen people with
  • 00:00:55
    their cars so messy and things all over
  • 00:00:58
    the place and how can I go to work with
  • 00:01:01
    my life like that? I mean has to have a
  • 00:01:03
    little order, you know, because it's
  • 00:01:06
    it's what we need to continue. It's uh
  • 00:01:09
    it's not that perfect, but it's it's the
  • 00:01:13
    way I want and um makes me feel better.
  • 00:01:17
    [Music]
  • 00:01:17
    [Applause]
  • 00:01:20
    Just like Maria, around 30 other people
  • 00:01:23
    sleep overnight in their car in this
  • 00:01:25
    free parking lot. Nevertheless, most of
  • 00:01:27
    them work. Their security guards, Uber
  • 00:01:30
    drivers, secretaries, or even computer
  • 00:01:33
    technicians.
  • 00:01:37
    [Music]
  • 00:01:43
    Maria is a cleaner and a carer.
  • 00:01:46
    Exhausting work that she does seven days
  • 00:01:48
    a week.
  • 00:01:49
    [Music]
  • 00:01:51
    Did you sit well? Yeah.
  • 00:01:54
    Uh, depends where my car is. If it's
  • 00:01:57
    like this, I won't. Has to be flat cuz
  • 00:02:01
    my back hurts if it's like that.
  • 00:02:05
    To provide some comfort for all these
  • 00:02:07
    people, an organization has supplied
  • 00:02:09
    them with a water point, portable
  • 00:02:11
    toilets, and a small outdoor kitchen
  • 00:02:13
    where Maria prepares her morning coffee
  • 00:02:16
    before going to work.
  • 00:02:22
    this kind of bullet bulletproof coffee.
  • 00:02:26
    It's very famous in the United States.
  • 00:02:29
    [Music]
  • 00:02:32
    Maria's fall from grace is a situation
  • 00:02:34
    that affects thousands of other
  • 00:02:36
    Americans.
  • 00:02:38
    For a long time, she had everything she
  • 00:02:40
    always wanted.
  • 00:02:42
    She was married and lived in this
  • 00:02:44
    beautiful house.
  • 00:02:47
    But after 5 years of living together,
  • 00:02:50
    her blissful marriage suddenly fell
  • 00:02:52
    apart.
  • 00:02:55
    He kind of dumped me. Dumped me. I said,
  • 00:02:58
    "Okay, it didn't work. Bye-bye. Okay,
  • 00:03:01
    bye-bye. See you later." I said, "What?
  • 00:03:04
    Now I don't have a place, no home. I'm a
  • 00:03:08
    homeless.
  • 00:03:11
    No bed, no no furniture, no house. So,
  • 00:03:15
    it's just my car. I have a seat here
  • 00:03:19
    and um
  • 00:03:22
    yeah, that's the way it is. Maria didn't
  • 00:03:25
    get to keep a single thing. She
  • 00:03:27
    preferred to leave everything to her
  • 00:03:29
    ex-husband and turn over a brand new
  • 00:03:31
    leaf. But over the last several years in
  • 00:03:34
    California, the cost of rent has risen
  • 00:03:36
    so much that her salary of €1,500 was
  • 00:03:40
    not enough to afford an apartment. Ever
  • 00:03:42
    since then, every morning before heading
  • 00:03:44
    to work, she goes to this gym. She
  • 00:03:47
    exercises for 45 minutes, but she mainly
  • 00:03:50
    comes for another rather urgent need. I
  • 00:03:53
    had to take this decision because I had
  • 00:03:55
    no place to shower.
  • 00:03:57
    One time I didn't shower for a week.
  • 00:04:00
    Feels terrible. Let me tell you, you
  • 00:04:03
    feel like a homeless.
  • 00:04:05
    Stinky.
  • 00:04:07
    So, I thought, what should I be doing?
  • 00:04:09
    So, I thought, oh, a gym.
  • 00:04:12
    So, I came here.
  • 00:04:16
    Her membership costs her €40 a month,
  • 00:04:18
    the cost of continuing a near normal
  • 00:04:20
    life.
  • 00:04:25
    Upon leaving the gym, no one would
  • 00:04:27
    notice that Maria no longer has a house
  • 00:04:29
    and that she sleeps in her car.
  • 00:04:33
    Have a wonderful job because of that.
  • 00:04:35
    Because if I don't shower, nobody's
  • 00:04:36
    going to hire me. I'm going to be
  • 00:04:39
    homeless. No car, no nothing. My my
  • 00:04:42
    world is going to go drop, you know, and
  • 00:04:45
    what am I going to be doing? I'll be
  • 00:04:47
    completely 100% homeless.
  • 00:04:50
    Oh, no. Kill myself.
  • 00:04:53
    Just kidding.
  • 00:04:57
    Maria is just one of many middle-class
  • 00:04:59
    American citizens who have in recent
  • 00:05:02
    years fallen into poverty.
  • 00:05:08
    Officially, America is great again.
  • 00:05:12
    Since the 2008 crisis, the economy has
  • 00:05:14
    never been stronger. A record-breaking
  • 00:05:17
    growth, and unemployment has dropped to
  • 00:05:20
    a historical low, less than 4%, an
  • 00:05:23
    upturn for which Donald Trump has
  • 00:05:25
    claimed all the credit.
  • 00:05:28
    There has never been a better time to
  • 00:05:30
    start living the American dream.
  • 00:05:33
    But despite what the president affirms,
  • 00:05:35
    the famous American dream is far from
  • 00:05:38
    being achieved in the United States. 40
  • 00:05:40
    million people are living below the
  • 00:05:42
    poverty line and millions of workers
  • 00:05:44
    will go to great lengths to stay above
  • 00:05:46
    it. You get money. Are you familiar with
  • 00:05:48
    plasma? You give Okay. I do that twice a
  • 00:05:51
    week. Becoming homeless overnight is
  • 00:05:54
    what these Americans fear most because
  • 00:05:56
    here the system is not very kind to
  • 00:05:59
    those short of cash. You better catch up
  • 00:06:01
    real quick or you're going to have a
  • 00:06:03
    judgment of possession against you and
  • 00:06:05
    get evicted. In some states, being late
  • 00:06:08
    on your rent is no laughing matter.
  • 00:06:10
    Sheriff's office. Here, one by one,
  • 00:06:12
    tenants are evicted at gunpoint. Where
  • 00:06:14
    am I going to sleep? I can sleep in a
  • 00:06:16
    hotel if I need to.
  • 00:06:19
    For these Americans on the verge of
  • 00:06:21
    ruin, seeking medical treatment can cost
  • 00:06:24
    a fortune. It's hard to eat and take
  • 00:06:27
    your medicine, too, cuz you may not get
  • 00:06:29
    one or the other.
  • 00:06:30
    So, some people are standing up in
  • 00:06:32
    solidarity, making sure they're taken
  • 00:06:34
    care of free of charge in field
  • 00:06:36
    hospitals, not unlike those found in a
  • 00:06:38
    country at war. An insight into the
  • 00:06:41
    lives of those who cannot scrape a
  • 00:06:43
    living in the heart of destitute
  • 00:06:45
    America.
  • 00:06:48
    [Music]
  • 00:06:55
    San Diego in Southern California. 300
  • 00:06:58
    days of sunshine a year. Beaches as far
  • 00:07:01
    as the eye can see. An idyllic setting.
  • 00:07:04
    A picture postcard California. San Diego
  • 00:07:07
    is also one of the most dynamic cities
  • 00:07:09
    in the country. Here, unemployment is
  • 00:07:12
    practically non-existent.
  • 00:07:19
    This dream lifestyle was once an
  • 00:07:21
    everyday reality for Eric. He was a
  • 00:07:23
    successful computer engineer earning
  • 00:07:26
    €7,000 a month. Today, at 53 years old,
  • 00:07:30
    this man lives alone in his car. And to
  • 00:07:32
    eat for free, he's made an agreement
  • 00:07:34
    with the employees of a pizzeria.
  • 00:07:40
    [Music]
  • 00:07:43
    Hi. Hello. How are you today? Good. And
  • 00:07:46
    you? Good. I'm here to pick up the for
  • 00:07:49
    you. Thank you.
  • 00:07:52
    What do you take here? Uh, these are the
  • 00:07:54
    slices that they have in their display
  • 00:07:56
    that uh they have them for too long then
  • 00:07:58
    they put them in the fridge for me so
  • 00:08:00
    that they uh donate them.
  • 00:08:03
    Here we go. Two boxes.
  • 00:08:05
    [Music]
  • 00:08:07
    Eric comes every evening to pick up some
  • 00:08:09
    pizza.
  • 00:08:11
    Well, thank you very much. Very much
  • 00:08:13
    appreciate it. See you tomorrow. Okay.
  • 00:08:15
    Bye-bye.
  • 00:08:18
    He's going to share these unsold slices
  • 00:08:20
    with other victims of poverty because
  • 00:08:22
    for a year and a half, Eric has been
  • 00:08:24
    sleeping in this parking lot, the one
  • 00:08:26
    where Maria the cleaner also lives. With
  • 00:08:29
    his pizza, he makes his neighbors very
  • 00:08:31
    happy. Thank you so much. There's a lot.
  • 00:08:34
    All right. Like Lorella, a 55-year-old
  • 00:08:38
    Uber driver. Looks good. You hungry?
  • 00:08:41
    Yeah, we're hungry.
  • 00:08:43
    Did you eat today? No. No. No. No, I had
  • 00:08:46
    to drive all day today.
  • 00:08:49
    [Music]
  • 00:08:52
    In his former life, Eric also worked a
  • 00:08:54
    lot, 50 hours a week. But four years
  • 00:08:57
    ago, he suffered a burnout as well as a
  • 00:08:59
    series of health problems, including
  • 00:09:01
    problems with his heart. He could not
  • 00:09:03
    work and received unemployment benefits
  • 00:09:05
    for 6 months and then nothing at all. I
  • 00:09:08
    thought I could handle it. I thought I
  • 00:09:10
    would get better. Um, but it uh it took
  • 00:09:12
    a toll and after several years of of
  • 00:09:14
    just dealing with doctors and going
  • 00:09:17
    burning through my savings, um, I ended
  • 00:09:20
    up u
  • 00:09:22
    basically burning through everything and
  • 00:09:24
    and was couldn't afford to to stay in an
  • 00:09:26
    apartment any longer. Eric is trying to
  • 00:09:28
    pick himself up. Nowadays, he's doing
  • 00:09:31
    temporary work and is saving up to be
  • 00:09:33
    able to rent an apartment. All right.
  • 00:09:38
    After her long day at work, Maria is
  • 00:09:40
    back.
  • 00:09:45
    You tired? Yeah. Yeah. It's a where I
  • 00:09:49
    work is a little hard because um
  • 00:09:53
    uh I have to lift a lady. She's very
  • 00:09:57
    heavy. Back and forth, back and forth.
  • 00:10:00
    But um 9 hours is not is a it's a lot of
  • 00:10:06
    hours. But I'm okay.
  • 00:10:09
    Thirsty, my food, my bed. I'm ready to
  • 00:10:13
    jump in my bed.
  • 00:10:15
    K's very tired.
  • 00:10:19
    At 9 at night, the gates close. From
  • 00:10:22
    this point onward, no more cars can
  • 00:10:24
    enter the parking lot. At night, there
  • 00:10:27
    isn't a security guard. And even though
  • 00:10:29
    there hasn't been any attacks, this
  • 00:10:31
    doesn't reassure Maria.
  • 00:10:36
    [Music]
  • 00:10:38
    I close the door, put the windows down
  • 00:10:41
    like this much and put the alarm. If
  • 00:10:44
    somebody's trying to break in, I will
  • 00:10:46
    know. I got my pepper spray
  • 00:10:50
    and my cutter. Somebody's trying to
  • 00:10:53
    break in
  • 00:10:55
    spray.
  • 00:10:57
    Yeah, because
  • 00:10:59
    you never know.
  • 00:11:02
    That's it.
  • 00:11:05
    A few meters away, Eric is getting ready
  • 00:11:07
    to spend another night in his car, even
  • 00:11:09
    though the passenger compartment is full
  • 00:11:11
    to the brim. The former computer
  • 00:11:13
    engineer will sleep sitting behind the
  • 00:11:15
    wheel. Certainly far from the comforts
  • 00:11:18
    of his old life.
  • 00:11:20
    Um and one thing that I've really found
  • 00:11:22
    out about this is that you know the
  • 00:11:23
    typical stereotype of um you know the
  • 00:11:27
    homeless person being lazy and not
  • 00:11:28
    wanting to work or being a drug addict.
  • 00:11:31
    uh that may be the case in some places
  • 00:11:32
    in some in some but the people I've come
  • 00:11:34
    to in this program most of them are very
  • 00:11:36
    hardworking uh people that want to get
  • 00:11:38
    ahead that have either have some some
  • 00:11:41
    health issues or have some had a streak
  • 00:11:43
    of bad luck or for whatever reason um
  • 00:11:46
    they've you know come into this this
  • 00:11:48
    this uh situation some people are able
  • 00:11:50
    to get out of it quickly some people it
  • 00:11:51
    takes longer
  • 00:11:56
    California is a state of stark contrasts
  • 00:11:58
    despite being the sixth largest economy
  • 00:12:00
    in the world. More and more of its
  • 00:12:02
    workers can no longer afford somewhere
  • 00:12:04
    to live. But there is another state
  • 00:12:06
    where the system is even more
  • 00:12:08
    unforgiving.
  • 00:12:13
    [Music]
  • 00:12:15
    This state is Virginia right next to
  • 00:12:18
    Washington DC and in particular its
  • 00:12:20
    capital city Richmond. Richmond is a
  • 00:12:23
    former industrial city. Here a quarter
  • 00:12:26
    of the population live beneath the
  • 00:12:28
    poverty threshold.
  • 00:12:30
    [Applause]
  • 00:12:34
    [Music]
  • 00:12:37
    Richmond also holds an unfortunate
  • 00:12:40
    record. This city has one of the highest
  • 00:12:42
    rates of eviction in the United States.
  • 00:12:44
    There are 3,000 evictions per year.
  • 00:12:47
    That's 25 times more than in Paris.
  • 00:12:54
    [Music]
  • 00:12:56
    The evictions are a routine job for
  • 00:12:58
    Officer Loyal from the sheriff's office.
  • 00:13:01
    Several times a week, he distributes
  • 00:13:02
    these yellow documents.
  • 00:13:11
    Hey, how are you? Does uh Candace live
  • 00:13:15
    here? Okay, M. This was a notice that I
  • 00:13:19
    placed on your door. It's an eviction
  • 00:13:21
    notice. You need to get in touch with
  • 00:13:23
    the management property, the manager
  • 00:13:25
    here if you feel that's incorrect, but
  • 00:13:27
    we set an eviction for August the 7th at
  • 00:13:30
    nine o'clock. Yeah, I talked to Okay.
  • 00:13:32
    Thank you, ma'am.
  • 00:13:34
    In the state of Virginia, the law is
  • 00:13:37
    strict. If the rent is late by 5 days,
  • 00:13:39
    the landlord has the right to begin the
  • 00:13:41
    eviction process. A few weeks later, the
  • 00:13:44
    tenant receives a notice on their door.
  • 00:13:48
    [Music]
  • 00:13:50
    Do you know what it is? I know what it
  • 00:13:52
    is.
  • 00:13:54
    You have only one week to get out. Yeah,
  • 00:13:57
    it's not a lot. I know. Well, we'll
  • 00:13:59
    figure it out. I already know. But
  • 00:14:02
    sometimes carried away by his own
  • 00:14:04
    enthusiasm, Officer Loyal is not always
  • 00:14:07
    accurate. Individual's name. Hey, how
  • 00:14:10
    are you? Are you Are you uh
  • 00:14:13
    No. Does she live here? No, this is No,
  • 00:14:17
    this is out meeting me. This is me.
  • 00:14:21
    This woman, who has nothing to feel
  • 00:14:23
    guilty about, got away with nothing more
  • 00:14:25
    than a fright.
  • 00:14:27
    I'm sorry, ma'am. We're at the wrong
  • 00:14:28
    apartment. Thank you.
  • 00:14:31
    The threatened tenants have one week to
  • 00:14:33
    settle their debts. Otherwise, they face
  • 00:14:36
    eviction by force, and officer Loyal
  • 00:14:39
    does not show much sympathy.
  • 00:14:44
    This morning, he and his colleague must
  • 00:14:46
    evict the person that lives in this
  • 00:14:48
    house.
  • 00:14:56
    Sheriff's office.
  • 00:14:58
    And just like arresting a dangerous
  • 00:15:00
    criminal, Sheriff's Office, they enter
  • 00:15:03
    the home armed with guns. I'll take
  • 00:15:06
    that. Okay. Sheriff's office.
  • 00:15:11
    Right now, the tenant is not at home,
  • 00:15:13
    and clearly he's not had time to vacate
  • 00:15:16
    the premises.
  • 00:15:18
    [Music]
  • 00:15:19
    Mr. Chanel, you're you're okay to change
  • 00:15:22
    locks out.
  • 00:15:24
    As for the landlord, he immediately
  • 00:15:26
    reclaims his property.
  • 00:15:29
    On average in France, it takes a year
  • 00:15:31
    and a half to evict someone, whilst
  • 00:15:33
    here, it happens in almost an instant.
  • 00:15:36
    In less than 2 months, everything is
  • 00:15:38
    settled. You check everything. I'm
  • 00:15:41
    checking the windows now. Why? To make
  • 00:15:45
    sure the house is secure.
  • 00:15:48
    The tenant has just arrived and is in
  • 00:15:51
    shock. She had been renting the house
  • 00:15:53
    for seven years. A single mother to a
  • 00:15:56
    grown-up daughter, she works but has
  • 00:15:58
    frequently struggled to make ends meet.
  • 00:16:00
    She can only pick up her belongings the
  • 00:16:02
    next day. Otherwise, everything will go
  • 00:16:04
    to the junkyard at her expense.
  • 00:16:09
    I've been here for seven years. You
  • 00:16:11
    know, I don't watch. It's just going to
  • 00:16:13
    be easier on you like the vehicle that's
  • 00:16:16
    in the backyard or whatever. Mhm. If you
  • 00:16:18
    if you have it removed cuz if he has a
  • 00:16:20
    tow company remove it, then that's an
  • 00:16:22
    added expense that you'd be looking at.
  • 00:16:24
    Yeah, that's fine. I mean, that's fine.
  • 00:16:26
    Do you think all this is a bit harsh? Do
  • 00:16:29
    I think it's harsh? No, he got to do
  • 00:16:30
    what he got to do and I got to do what I
  • 00:16:31
    got to do. Where are you going to sleep?
  • 00:16:34
    Where am I going to sleep? Yeah, I can
  • 00:16:35
    sleep in the hotel if I need to. The
  • 00:16:38
    hotel? Yeah, I can. Yeah. Thank you so
  • 00:16:42
    much. Have a good day. You too. She's
  • 00:16:44
    thrown out on the streets with no room
  • 00:16:46
    for negotiation. This is the only way to
  • 00:16:48
    make her didn't move.
  • 00:16:52
    That's up to her if that's the only way.
  • 00:16:54
    She said she would move before this.
  • 00:16:57
    Didn't move.
  • 00:17:00
    Maybe she had nowhere to go. Uh you
  • 00:17:05
    know, she never did say that to me.
  • 00:17:16
    There are around 10 evictions just like
  • 00:17:18
    this one every day in Richmond. As a
  • 00:17:20
    consequence of this express justice,
  • 00:17:22
    budget hotels on the outskirts of the
  • 00:17:24
    city have become a refuge for those
  • 00:17:26
    who've been kicked out of their homes.
  • 00:17:28
    Some people stay there for a very long
  • 00:17:30
    time. This is the case for David, a
  • 00:17:33
    38-year-old gardener.
  • 00:17:36
    What's going on, man? How are you? Same
  • 00:17:39
    old, same old. New day. David has lived
  • 00:17:42
    in this motel since his eviction 2 years
  • 00:17:45
    ago. At the weekend, this divorced
  • 00:17:47
    father's children come to stay over in
  • 00:17:49
    his 10 square meter room for which he
  • 00:17:51
    pays €1,300 a month.
  • 00:17:58
    This is it, man. This is our bedroom,
  • 00:18:00
    living room, um, family room, every
  • 00:18:04
    room. This is the little kitchen which I
  • 00:18:07
    cooked her eggs last night and made
  • 00:18:09
    hamburgers. So, I ain't clean the dishes
  • 00:18:11
    yet. You know, we hung out, played video
  • 00:18:13
    games, and um bathroom,
  • 00:18:16
    you know, got a shower, but um that's
  • 00:18:18
    about all.
  • 00:18:21
    During the week, David shares this
  • 00:18:23
    single room, which is bursting with
  • 00:18:24
    things, with his new partner. We did
  • 00:18:27
    black.
  • 00:18:33
    Is it not too hard to live for 2 years
  • 00:18:36
    here? Oh man, I'm like cramped, you
  • 00:18:39
    know, like obviously if you put two
  • 00:18:42
    people in the same room for a long
  • 00:18:44
    enough time, it's there's you're going
  • 00:18:45
    to bump heads and have arguments and
  • 00:18:47
    stuff. His girlfriend has a stable job
  • 00:18:50
    in the insurance business. As a couple,
  • 00:18:53
    they could buy themselves a bigger and
  • 00:18:54
    less expensive apartment. Yet, they
  • 00:18:56
    remain trapped in this tiny room because
  • 00:18:59
    their past eviction continues to haunt
  • 00:19:01
    them. But at the time, she she was
  • 00:19:03
    trying at first and then you get so beat
  • 00:19:05
    down by going to places and stuff and
  • 00:19:07
    them not they're not giving you a place
  • 00:19:09
    because they're like, "Oh, you had an
  • 00:19:10
    eviction." Um it's, you know, shows that
  • 00:19:13
    you didn't pay this like 2 months or
  • 00:19:16
    something like that. And um it it
  • 00:19:18
    definitely was detrimental to it. You
  • 00:19:20
    know, there was no way of getting
  • 00:19:22
    anywhere.
  • 00:19:24
    It is almost unthinkable in Europe, but
  • 00:19:27
    here, landlords are able to access the
  • 00:19:29
    past of bad tenants with a few simple
  • 00:19:31
    clicks. A systematic surveillance that
  • 00:19:34
    has been denounced by Martin Vgbrite, a
  • 00:19:36
    lawyer and defense attorney for tenants.
  • 00:19:44
    So, um, this database is a public
  • 00:19:48
    database. I mean, anyone can go on to
  • 00:19:50
    this database and and look at it and you
  • 00:19:53
    can search by name. So, let's try a
  • 00:19:56
    common a common American name. Here we
  • 00:19:59
    go. Oh, Mary Gillespie. Okay. Um, there
  • 00:20:02
    we go. And you can see five unlawful
  • 00:20:06
    detainers. Let's see. 10 years ago, this
  • 00:20:09
    tenant had a series of late payments.
  • 00:20:11
    Despite being small amounts like this
  • 00:20:13
    $291,
  • 00:20:15
    they can bear heavy consequences.
  • 00:20:19
    So, if I'm a landlord, I can look at
  • 00:20:21
    that and say, "Well, that was 10 years
  • 00:20:23
    ago, but I think she's too much of a
  • 00:20:27
    risk. I don't want to rent to her." If
  • 00:20:29
    anything bad happens to you, whether
  • 00:20:31
    it's, you know, you get your hours cut
  • 00:20:33
    back at work, whether you break an ankle
  • 00:20:36
    and you're off work for a month, whether
  • 00:20:38
    you got that car repair bill or that
  • 00:20:40
    hospital bill or anything that just
  • 00:20:42
    throws your budget off slightly,
  • 00:20:45
    you better catch up real quick or you're
  • 00:20:47
    going to have a judgment of possession
  • 00:20:49
    against you and get evicted. So, the
  • 00:20:52
    tenant really is living under the sword
  • 00:20:54
    of damocles.
  • 00:21:01
    With such a system, it's difficult to
  • 00:21:03
    imagine how David could one day leave
  • 00:21:05
    his motel and buy himself an apartment
  • 00:21:07
    in which he could properly house his
  • 00:21:09
    children.
  • 00:21:10
    Bullfrog.
  • 00:21:16
    But um yeah. Um in a situation like this
  • 00:21:19
    too, if you're depressed and you sit in
  • 00:21:22
    one little room by yourself a lot, you
  • 00:21:24
    end up drinking or or you know doing
  • 00:21:27
    something stupid. And thank God drinking
  • 00:21:29
    is my only vice right now, you know.
  • 00:21:33
    but
  • 00:21:34
    trying to be a a decent person, a good
  • 00:21:37
    dad. And
  • 00:21:39
    David is far from an isolated case.
  • 00:21:42
    6,300 people are evicted throughout
  • 00:21:44
    America each day. Although in the city,
  • 00:21:47
    finding accommodation is the main source
  • 00:21:49
    of anxiety. There is a region where for
  • 00:21:51
    some the main worry is simply being able
  • 00:21:53
    to put food on the table.
  • 00:22:00
    Welcome to rural America. the Appalachia
  • 00:22:03
    in the eastern part of the country, a
  • 00:22:06
    mountainous region.
  • 00:22:07
    [Music]
  • 00:22:13
    Appalachia was once widely known for its
  • 00:22:15
    coal production. These days, almost all
  • 00:22:18
    of the mines are closed down. It is
  • 00:22:20
    often said that the American dream got
  • 00:22:22
    lost somewhere along the way to here.
  • 00:22:25
    [Music]
  • 00:22:32
    The Appalachian region with a
  • 00:22:33
    predominantly white population is where
  • 00:22:36
    the poorest counties in the country are
  • 00:22:38
    found.
  • 00:22:41
    [Music]
  • 00:22:50
    During the summer, at lunchtime, this
  • 00:22:52
    food truck travels up and down the
  • 00:22:54
    disadvantaged areas of Rono.
  • 00:22:58
    Loose and Stacy are two volunteers that
  • 00:23:00
    give out free meals to children.
  • 00:23:04
    In the school system, you get lunch and
  • 00:23:07
    you get breakfast. So, a lot a lot of
  • 00:23:10
    families depend on that lunch or
  • 00:23:13
    breakfast that they don't necessarily
  • 00:23:15
    have to buy, if that makes sense. Um,
  • 00:23:18
    because the school system will provide
  • 00:23:19
    it for them. Um, but in the summer from
  • 00:23:22
    June to mid August, there's no school.
  • 00:23:26
    So then where are those meals coming
  • 00:23:28
    from? So that's where we kind of step
  • 00:23:30
    in. They serve up to 200 meals a day and
  • 00:23:34
    every time they arrive they are eagerly
  • 00:23:36
    awaited. Hey girl. Hi. How you doing
  • 00:23:39
    today? I'm doing good. How are y'all?
  • 00:23:41
    Oh,
  • 00:23:43
    big hug. Big hug. Oh, there we go. Give
  • 00:23:47
    me a hug. Y'all hungry? Yes. I'm
  • 00:23:49
    starving.
  • 00:23:51
    I'm good.
  • 00:23:53
    On today's menu, a sandwich, a carton of
  • 00:23:56
    milk, and a kiwi. In this family, both
  • 00:23:59
    parents do not work. They receive €1,200
  • 00:24:02
    of social welfare a month. But as a
  • 00:24:05
    family of five, it's barely enough to
  • 00:24:07
    live on.
  • 00:24:09
    Well, I try to get in at least two to
  • 00:24:12
    three, but towards the end of the month
  • 00:24:14
    when the stamps run low, I'll maybe eat
  • 00:24:16
    one one a day. For example, now we are
  • 00:24:19
    at the end of the month. One a day. One
  • 00:24:22
    a day. Yes.
  • 00:24:24
    Uh I usually skip breakfast and lunch
  • 00:24:27
    and uh or yeah, breakfast and lunch and
  • 00:24:29
    then I eat dinner. So that's all I do.
  • 00:24:31
    Yes. Only
  • 00:24:33
    being poor to the point of starving
  • 00:24:36
    yourself. See you tomorrow. See you
  • 00:24:38
    tomorrow. Bye. Or you too.
  • 00:24:43
    This reality is nothing new in the
  • 00:24:45
    Appalachian region.
  • 00:24:49
    In 1964, during his election campaign,
  • 00:24:52
    President Johnson visited Appalachia. He
  • 00:24:55
    was horrified by this poverty. Once
  • 00:24:57
    elected, he launched a master plan to
  • 00:25:00
    put an end to poverty. Today, here and
  • 00:25:03
    now, declares unconditional war on
  • 00:25:08
    poverty in America.
  • 00:25:11
    One of his ideas was to create food
  • 00:25:13
    stamps, which were food coupons given
  • 00:25:15
    free of charge to the poor.
  • 00:25:19
    [Music]
  • 00:25:22
    Still to this day, the government
  • 00:25:24
    distributes these food stamps to 40
  • 00:25:26
    million American people. In this mobile
  • 00:25:28
    home park in the heart of the
  • 00:25:30
    Appalachia, the majority of families
  • 00:25:32
    benefit from this food aid. With the
  • 00:25:34
    American flag hanging from the front
  • 00:25:36
    steps, this is the mobile home of
  • 00:25:38
    58-year-old Sirenia Collins. A former
  • 00:25:41
    Marine, Sirenia no longer works
  • 00:25:44
    following a long-term illness. She
  • 00:25:46
    receives a pension of €700. So, every
  • 00:25:49
    day she tries to get by.
  • 00:25:54
    Like I said, everything in here is given
  • 00:25:57
    to me. Basically, these were tables that
  • 00:26:00
    were given to me. They were really ugly.
  • 00:26:03
    So, I'm in the process of
  • 00:26:06
    painting them and making them a little
  • 00:26:08
    personal. So, that's another way of
  • 00:26:10
    cutting cost. This is the queen's chair.
  • 00:26:14
    This is my chair thrown comfort. I love
  • 00:26:18
    it. So, it's just something that
  • 00:26:22
    actually when I bought it, it was a big
  • 00:26:24
    expense.
  • 00:26:26
    And it was $1,300. So, I made payments
  • 00:26:28
    on it. Only thing in the house that's
  • 00:26:30
    really expensive for me, you know. So,
  • 00:26:34
    this is my chair. And her financial
  • 00:26:37
    difficulties have gotten worse since she
  • 00:26:39
    started to accommodate her niece
  • 00:26:40
    Jennifer, an unemployed single mother
  • 00:26:43
    who has three children to take care of.
  • 00:26:46
    Leah,
  • 00:26:48
    Lindsay,
  • 00:26:50
    and Jaden.
  • 00:26:52
    Fortunately, Jennifer receives food
  • 00:26:54
    stamps
  • 00:26:56
    every month on the first they
  • 00:27:00
    um according to how many kids you have
  • 00:27:03
    and your income they um put you know so
  • 00:27:07
    much on there and I get every month on
  • 00:27:10
    the first I'll get like 640 $640 just to
  • 00:27:13
    buy food. Just for food. Yeah.
  • 00:27:17
    €560 a month to feed five people. a
  • 00:27:21
    tight budget. Before going shopping, the
  • 00:27:23
    two women check the balance on their
  • 00:27:24
    card. Your staff balance is $6238.
  • 00:27:32
    Serenia and Jennifer can spend their
  • 00:27:34
    food coupons in any supermarket like
  • 00:27:36
    this discount store where they regularly
  • 00:27:38
    go.
  • 00:27:47
    Once at the checkout, the food stamp
  • 00:27:48
    card works just like any other credit
  • 00:27:50
    card. And in this shop in the
  • 00:27:53
    Appalachia, they are by no means the
  • 00:27:55
    only ones who use it. How many people
  • 00:27:58
    pay with food stamps here? Um, probably
  • 00:28:01
    half people coming here. Mhm. It's a
  • 00:28:04
    It's a It's a lot. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm.
  • 00:28:08
    Thank you.
  • 00:28:10
    Donald Trump is planning to cut down on
  • 00:28:12
    the amount of people who receive food
  • 00:28:14
    stamps. He risks making an already
  • 00:28:16
    vulnerable society even poorer.
  • 00:28:20
    [Music]
  • 00:28:24
    But ironically, here they voted 80% in
  • 00:28:28
    favor of him and their support for him
  • 00:28:30
    continues. To earn a little extra money,
  • 00:28:32
    Serenia does some household tasks for
  • 00:28:34
    her neighbors. For a few dollars, she
  • 00:28:37
    also cuts James's hair who works in the
  • 00:28:39
    mine. He is a loyal follower of Donald
  • 00:28:42
    Trump.
  • 00:28:44
    [Music]
  • 00:28:47
    I am a Trump fan. Yeah, I do support
  • 00:28:50
    Trump. Why? Because he's done everything
  • 00:28:52
    he said he'd do. Um, you know, Trump is
  • 00:28:56
    willing to help other countries, but his
  • 00:28:59
    country comes first.
  • 00:29:02
    That's not happened in a long time.
  • 00:29:04
    Donald Trump is a billionaire. Donald
  • 00:29:06
    Trump keeps his family everywhere he
  • 00:29:09
    goes. His children, his wife are
  • 00:29:11
    everywhere with him. That tells you a
  • 00:29:13
    lot about a person.
  • 00:29:15
    Family then family. And that's why I
  • 00:29:18
    work for my family. It's been in the
  • 00:29:21
    last so many years, maybe 30 years, that
  • 00:29:24
    there's not been jobs. Now there is. Our
  • 00:29:26
    unemployment rate is way down. Really?
  • 00:29:30
    Really? Right now
  • 00:29:34
    theor theoretically
  • 00:29:37
    uh
  • 00:29:38
    every person in the USA can have a job.
  • 00:29:40
    Isn't that what they told us? There is a
  • 00:29:42
    job for every person with the numbers.
  • 00:29:45
    So if people want to work, they can find
  • 00:29:48
    a job.
  • 00:29:50
    Their unwavering support is somewhat
  • 00:29:52
    difficult to understand because since
  • 00:29:54
    his election, the daily life of
  • 00:29:56
    individuals in the Appalachia has not
  • 00:29:58
    improved. Poverty is everpresent and has
  • 00:30:01
    led to some strange occurrences. In this
  • 00:30:03
    small town, in the middle of the night,
  • 00:30:05
    dozens of cars enter a showground.
  • 00:30:11
    over there. Ma'am, ma'am, pull over
  • 00:30:14
    right over here for right now. If you'll
  • 00:30:15
    turn right right here. Sold out. Okay. I
  • 00:30:19
    suggest that you be back here about 3 or
  • 00:30:21
    4:00.
  • 00:30:24
    Well, it kind of trips you out cuz it
  • 00:30:26
    makes you think you're it's like it's
  • 00:30:27
    everybody's lining up like you're going
  • 00:30:28
    to a concert and you go there just keep
  • 00:30:30
    your teeth drilled on or something, you
  • 00:30:31
    know. Actually,
  • 00:30:33
    these people are arriving by the
  • 00:30:35
    hundreds quite simply to see a doctor
  • 00:30:38
    because every year here for a weekend.
  • 00:30:40
    All you're going to get in this line is
  • 00:30:42
    medical only. A nonprofit organization
  • 00:30:45
    arranges free consultations. Oh, there
  • 00:30:48
    is the huge need. Um, a lot of their
  • 00:30:52
    families in this area are
  • 00:30:55
    the workingclass families. they're
  • 00:30:58
    struggling to to choose between paying
  • 00:31:01
    for medicine that can save their life
  • 00:31:03
    or, you know, groceries for the week.
  • 00:31:06
    So, it it's it's a shame to have to to
  • 00:31:09
    do it this way, but you got to take care
  • 00:31:11
    of your people. And these are our
  • 00:31:12
    people, and this is the way we take care
  • 00:31:14
    of our people. We made it through it.
  • 00:31:16
    Even though the health care system
  • 00:31:18
    improved with Barack Obama, 28 million
  • 00:31:21
    Americans still do not have any health
  • 00:31:23
    insurance. Medical services for you.
  • 00:31:28
    Serenia also does not want to miss the
  • 00:31:30
    event. She spent two hours on the bus to
  • 00:31:33
    come and camp here. But during the
  • 00:31:35
    night, a heavy thunderstorm broke out.
  • 00:31:39
    Good morning.
  • 00:31:41
    We've had an adventure. We had a flood.
  • 00:31:44
    Literally a flood. It came really dark
  • 00:31:47
    over and next thing you know, we've got
  • 00:31:48
    a gully washer down through here. It
  • 00:31:52
    nothing. Everything in there is soaked.
  • 00:31:54
    blankets, everything.
  • 00:31:57
    And
  • 00:31:58
    no sleep last night. Serenia has arrived
  • 00:32:02
    with all her family, her niece Jennifer,
  • 00:32:04
    and her three children. They all need to
  • 00:32:06
    see the dentist.
  • 00:32:08
    But medical fees in the United States
  • 00:32:11
    are the most expensive in the world,
  • 00:32:13
    beyond the budget for a large section of
  • 00:32:15
    the population. So staying up all night
  • 00:32:18
    does not bother them. But I mean, you
  • 00:32:20
    struggle to have medical assistance.
  • 00:32:22
    Yeah, it's not easy. Not easy,
  • 00:32:26
    but you have to do it. Absolutely. The
  • 00:32:29
    alternative is not a good thing.
  • 00:32:34
    So, have to.
  • 00:32:37
    The family arrived the night before
  • 00:32:39
    because here the rule is first come,
  • 00:32:42
    first served. At 6:00 in the morning,
  • 00:32:44
    the doors open. They announced the
  • 00:32:47
    running order.
  • 00:32:48
    125 127 Somebody's sounding asleep in
  • 00:32:52
    the car. 128. So, next time we'll call
  • 00:32:55
    in groups of 20 again. All right.
  • 00:32:59
    Once inside, these patients discover a
  • 00:33:01
    full-scale field hospital.
  • 00:33:04
    A scene that resembles more that of a
  • 00:33:07
    humanitarian disaster. And yet, it's
  • 00:33:10
    really just modern-day America. Here,
  • 00:33:13
    people are treated in turn by a horde of
  • 00:33:15
    volunteers, nurses, family doctors, but
  • 00:33:18
    also specialists who are able to care
  • 00:33:21
    for more complicated illnesses.
  • 00:33:23
    [Music]
  • 00:33:26
    The most remarkable part takes place in
  • 00:33:28
    this sports hall transformed into a
  • 00:33:30
    gigantic dentist office. All day long,
  • 00:33:33
    60 dentists descale, drill, fill, and
  • 00:33:36
    remove teeth by the dozen. A daunting
  • 00:33:39
    sight for some.
  • 00:33:44
    [Music]
  • 00:33:47
    Arriving upon the scene, Serenia is
  • 00:33:50
    overcome with emotion.
  • 00:33:57
    It's beautiful. All the people
  • 00:33:59
    volunteering and
  • 00:34:01
    so many people getting help that need
  • 00:34:02
    it. Before
  • 00:34:05
    my sister passed away, she had all her
  • 00:34:08
    teeth taken out and she didn't have any
  • 00:34:10
    teeth to replace them with and she was
  • 00:34:13
    younger than I am now. And she was my
  • 00:34:16
    older sister. So
  • 00:34:20
    I think about what she went through with
  • 00:34:21
    health issues because of her teeth and
  • 00:34:26
    they're important.
  • 00:34:30
    In turns, the family are going to be
  • 00:34:32
    examined. Jaden, the youngest, feels a
  • 00:34:34
    little uneasy.
  • 00:34:40
    I want you to brush. Even if it's when
  • 00:34:42
    you come home from school, got to get
  • 00:34:44
    two times. If you can get three, that's
  • 00:34:46
    really good. Okay. All right.
  • 00:34:51
    In a situation like this, prevention is
  • 00:34:53
    the main goal of these dentists. All has
  • 00:34:56
    gone well for Jaden. He's eligible for a
  • 00:34:58
    simple routine checkup. But for Serenia,
  • 00:35:01
    the medical care that lies ahead is
  • 00:35:03
    trickier. She's already missing five
  • 00:35:05
    mers and is worried that they'll remove
  • 00:35:08
    a sixth one that is extremely damaged.
  • 00:35:10
    After 3 hours of waiting, it's her turn
  • 00:35:12
    to go up. Feels great. Ma'am, are you
  • 00:35:15
    ready? I think. Ready or not? Ready,
  • 00:35:18
    sir? All right, I'll take you this way.
  • 00:35:21
    Oh my god. A young student about to
  • 00:35:24
    complete his university degree is going
  • 00:35:26
    to take care of her. Before treating
  • 00:35:28
    Serenia, he's already had time to
  • 00:35:30
    familiarize himself with the job. He
  • 00:35:32
    spent his morning extracting teeth. Did
  • 00:35:35
    you extract today? Have you extracted?
  • 00:35:37
    Um, I've extracted about 15 teeth today.
  • 00:35:40
    15? Yeah. Myself? Yeah. So, it's a lot.
  • 00:35:44
    Yeah. Pretty good day. Yeah, it's pretty
  • 00:35:46
    good day. Yeah. He will spend 15 minutes
  • 00:35:49
    removing Serenia's tooth. His 16th of
  • 00:35:51
    the day. Conor, you touch anything
  • 00:35:55
    that's sharp or infected or what do you
  • 00:35:57
    feel?
  • 00:35:59
    Like I have a big mouth.
  • 00:36:04
    But here there's no time to take a
  • 00:36:05
    breather. Serena is escorted to the gym
  • 00:36:08
    locker rooms for the next stage. You got
  • 00:36:10
    her. I got her. Come on, Miss.
  • 00:36:13
    Thank you. God bless. Thanks for
  • 00:36:15
    everything.
  • 00:36:17
    a dental prostthesis studio which like
  • 00:36:19
    the rest is led by volunteers and funded
  • 00:36:22
    by donations. Lips relax. Relax. No. Lay
  • 00:36:25
    your head back. Just relax your lips.
  • 00:36:27
    Relax.
  • 00:36:28
    In this room, they take the dental
  • 00:36:30
    impressions. And in the room next door,
  • 00:36:32
    a new set of teeth is created in less
  • 00:36:34
    than 2 hours. Serenia's new smile is
  • 00:36:37
    ready. Here
  • 00:36:46
    we go. How's that feel? Awkward, but
  • 00:36:49
    okay. Yeah.
  • 00:36:54
    Oh my god. I had teeth. You had teeth
  • 00:36:58
    all the way back. Yeah.
  • 00:37:02
    You're welcome, darling.
  • 00:37:05
    Thank you.
  • 00:37:08
    I want a big smile. Cheese.
  • 00:37:12
    There you go.
  • 00:37:13
    [Laughter]
  • 00:37:16
    You're good. Thank you.
  • 00:37:21
    [Music]
  • 00:37:23
    And now that I can
  • 00:37:26
    smile and feel it.
  • 00:37:29
    That's what I want. That's what I need.
  • 00:37:34
    Yeah.
  • 00:37:35
    What happened? I got teeth.
  • 00:37:39
    They got the same thing. No, they put
  • 00:37:42
    new teeth in.
  • 00:37:46
    Love you.
  • 00:37:47
    If the family had paid for all this
  • 00:37:49
    treatment, they would have had to spend
  • 00:37:51
    over $3,000. In the United States, there
  • 00:37:54
    are still some American citizens that
  • 00:37:56
    are personally taking action to give aid
  • 00:37:58
    to the poor.
  • 00:38:08
    At the other end of the country, a man
  • 00:38:10
    has embarked upon a mission against
  • 00:38:12
    poverty which has plagued the sidewalks
  • 00:38:14
    of his city, a legendary city that is
  • 00:38:17
    seldom associated with poverty.
  • 00:38:22
    And this is this is Los Angeles. Los
  • 00:38:24
    Angeles and Hollywood.
  • 00:38:28
    38-year-old punk Elvis is furious with
  • 00:38:31
    what Los Angeles has become in recent
  • 00:38:33
    years.
  • 00:38:36
    It's not a third world country. It's one
  • 00:38:38
    of the richest countries in the world.
  • 00:38:40
    It's almost like a movie prop. They
  • 00:38:41
    don't It's hard to fathom that like
  • 00:38:44
    every single day this is how people
  • 00:38:46
    live.
  • 00:38:48
    Los Angeles is the symbol of the
  • 00:38:50
    California dream, the heart of Hollywood
  • 00:38:52
    cinema and the temple of luxury. And yet
  • 00:38:55
    today, Los Angeles is the homeless
  • 00:38:57
    capital of America. In the last few
  • 00:39:00
    years, the number of homeless people has
  • 00:39:02
    increased from 33,000 to 55,000.
  • 00:39:05
    Beneath the business towers, the
  • 00:39:07
    situation has become tragic.
  • 00:39:13
    [Music]
  • 00:39:19
    When I was a kid and lived here, it was
  • 00:39:22
    nothing like it is now. I left for
  • 00:39:24
    almost two decades and I came back a few
  • 00:39:27
    years ago and it just it just blows my
  • 00:39:31
    mind. It's just going to increase
  • 00:39:32
    because uh every month the cost of
  • 00:39:35
    everything keeps going up. There's no
  • 00:39:37
    regulation so uh
  • 00:39:40
    apartment owners and and landlords can
  • 00:39:42
    raise the money, you know, the rent
  • 00:39:45
    whenever they like, but nobody's
  • 00:39:47
    paychecks are getting bigger.
  • 00:39:50
    Outraged by the situation of these
  • 00:39:51
    homeless people, Elvis gave up his job
  • 00:39:54
    as a sales assistant. He lives on the
  • 00:39:56
    salary of his partner, Leia, who works
  • 00:39:58
    at the university. In this way, Elvis
  • 00:40:01
    can devote all his time to helping the
  • 00:40:03
    homeless.
  • 00:40:05
    [Music]
  • 00:40:08
    A little further from downtown, a woman
  • 00:40:10
    has moved in beneath this bridge. Elvis
  • 00:40:13
    and Leia regularly pay her a visit.
  • 00:40:18
    [Applause]
  • 00:40:20
    I'll just give her. All right, baby.
  • 00:40:23
    [Music]
  • 00:40:24
    Cammy has been living here for 5 years
  • 00:40:27
    in a small tent that she shares with
  • 00:40:29
    another woman. Inside, they are at the
  • 00:40:31
    mercy of the dangers of the street.
  • 00:40:33
    They've already been assaulted several
  • 00:40:35
    times. Well, just look at it everywhere.
  • 00:40:38
    They they just tore it right open. And
  • 00:40:40
    uh now now she doesn't even have a door.
  • 00:40:43
    When she sleeps out here at night,
  • 00:40:45
    there's also no lights right under here.
  • 00:40:47
    So, it's very dark and you know,
  • 00:40:49
    especially as a woman, that's pretty
  • 00:40:51
    damn scary. Even if a guy is it's scary
  • 00:40:53
    because anybody can walk up in the dark,
  • 00:40:56
    walk right in, do whatever they want. To
  • 00:40:59
    help these people, Elvis wants to do
  • 00:41:01
    more than just bring them bottles of
  • 00:41:03
    water. His major project is hiding in
  • 00:41:06
    the courtyard of his church. He came up
  • 00:41:08
    with the idea to build small wooden
  • 00:41:10
    houses for them. They're not big, barely
  • 00:41:13
    4 square meters. But inside, Elvis and
  • 00:41:15
    Leia have thought of every last thing to
  • 00:41:18
    improve the daily lives of these
  • 00:41:19
    homeless people.
  • 00:41:33
    Window alarms. Yes. So what does he
  • 00:41:36
    mean? So if someone tries to open the
  • 00:41:38
    window, the alarm will go off. This
  • 00:41:41
    right here allows people to sleep. When
  • 00:41:43
    people sleep, they can think, they can
  • 00:41:46
    do better, they feel better, they want
  • 00:41:48
    better.
  • 00:41:49
    The house is also equipped with a fire
  • 00:41:51
    alarm, a light, and a phone charger, all
  • 00:41:54
    of which is powered by a solar panel.
  • 00:42:02
    Uh, might get you a ladder. Elvis thinks
  • 00:42:03
    of everything to the last detail in
  • 00:42:06
    order to give some dignity back to the
  • 00:42:08
    homeless. He even assigns them an
  • 00:42:10
    address. They're obviously not going to
  • 00:42:12
    be, you know, recognized by the post
  • 00:42:14
    office or, you know, or something like
  • 00:42:16
    that. But it's it's really just
  • 00:42:19
    psychological. You know, my my apartment
  • 00:42:21
    has an address. I'm sure your your place
  • 00:42:23
    has an address. That that's the ultimate
  • 00:42:25
    goal. Most of the people anyone that's
  • 00:42:28
    homeless is is treated like garbage. you
  • 00:42:30
    know, once once you have that title,
  • 00:42:32
    you're you're screwed because people
  • 00:42:35
    look at you like a monster or, you know,
  • 00:42:37
    like someone bad or you chose to be
  • 00:42:39
    there or you're crazy or, you know, and
  • 00:42:41
    it it's most of the time it's not the
  • 00:42:44
    case. And so the the little I mean, it's
  • 00:42:47
    it's so easy to dehumanize people, but
  • 00:42:51
    the little tiny things, it's so easy to
  • 00:42:54
    bring that back to a person. Each cabin
  • 00:42:58
    costs €1,000. financed entirely by
  • 00:43:01
    donations collected on the internet. But
  • 00:43:03
    his generous initiative is illegal. The
  • 00:43:06
    mayor of Los Angeles has banned him from
  • 00:43:08
    installing his cabins on the sidewalks
  • 00:43:10
    of the city. Elvis doesn't care.
  • 00:43:14
    [Music]
  • 00:43:18
    And this morning, he's going to deliver
  • 00:43:20
    one of them to a homeless couple who
  • 00:43:22
    very much need it.
  • 00:43:27
    Hey. Hi. I'm Elvis. Hi, I'm Christa.
  • 00:43:30
    Nice to meet you. This is our dog,
  • 00:43:32
    Brownie. Hi, Brownie. Crystal is 32
  • 00:43:34
    years old and is 3 months pregnant. She
  • 00:43:37
    lives on the curb of this sidewalk with
  • 00:43:39
    her partner, Andre. What's up, buddy?
  • 00:43:41
    Love you, my [ __ ] Love you, my [ __ ]
  • 00:43:42
    I love you. How are you? God, man. I was
  • 00:43:45
    I was hoping you weren't going to be
  • 00:43:46
    gone long. That's the mother. That's the
  • 00:43:47
    mother to be. For 4 years now, the
  • 00:43:50
    couple have been sleeping in this tiny
  • 00:43:52
    wheeled cart that is swarming with bugs.
  • 00:43:55
    Yeah, man. Like bed bugs and I mean, eat
  • 00:43:57
    me. eating me alive, man. I can tell you
  • 00:43:59
    can everything all these little
  • 00:44:01
    different marks, man. From mostly not
  • 00:44:04
    being able to have good hygiene. Elvis
  • 00:44:06
    does not feel like hanging around. The
  • 00:44:09
    trick is to get this
  • 00:44:12
    get this done and off before the cops
  • 00:44:14
    show up.
  • 00:44:16
    But all the same, the small house weighs
  • 00:44:18
    400 kg and the wheels remain stuck on
  • 00:44:21
    the street.
  • 00:44:23
    Well,
  • 00:44:27
    there. Yep. All we got to do is a
  • 00:44:28
    neighbor and another homeless person
  • 00:44:30
    from the neighborhood come to lend him a
  • 00:44:32
    helping hand.
  • 00:44:34
    [Applause]
  • 00:44:38
    Thank you.
  • 00:44:42
    Starting to bring him back out, man.
  • 00:44:46
    And as soon as the home is set up, other
  • 00:44:48
    homeless people are begging him for a
  • 00:44:50
    small house. I'll be back. I have a I
  • 00:44:51
    have a couple more almost ready to go.
  • 00:44:53
    So,
  • 00:44:54
    thank you. Thanks. Much appreciated.
  • 00:44:57
    Like,
  • 00:44:59
    I'm going to get a house. No more living
  • 00:45:01
    in a chair. Yay. But his project does
  • 00:45:03
    not quite make everyone happy. Why don't
  • 00:45:06
    you go back in your house and enjoy the
  • 00:45:08
    air conditioning?
  • 00:45:10
    A neighbor has come to express her
  • 00:45:12
    discontent. She's against this. Why? She
  • 00:45:16
    uh she doesn't want it in front of her
  • 00:45:18
    house. She's calling the police and so
  • 00:45:20
    we need to hurry along and we'll pray
  • 00:45:23
    that they are allowed to keep their
  • 00:45:24
    house.
  • 00:45:26
    This is how it goes
  • 00:45:29
    in Los Angeles.
  • 00:45:31
    Yeah,
  • 00:45:35
    man. Praise God. Thank you. Good luck to
  • 00:45:37
    both of you. Congratulations.
  • 00:45:40
    A few days after filming, the police
  • 00:45:42
    threatened Elvis that they would destroy
  • 00:45:44
    his cabin if he didn't remove it. He
  • 00:45:47
    decided to move it with the couple onto
  • 00:45:49
    privately owned land.
  • 00:45:51
    In the end, the disgruntled neighbor won
  • 00:45:53
    her case.
  • 00:45:57
    But some people are trying to fight the
  • 00:45:58
    snubbing of the homeless people in
  • 00:46:00
    fascinating ways. Yes, sir. Very much
  • 00:46:03
    so.
  • 00:46:10
    We are heading to Texas to Puritan Waco.
  • 00:46:15
    This city has around 50 churches for its
  • 00:46:18
    120,000 residents. Here, once a month, a
  • 00:46:22
    religious community organizes a strange
  • 00:46:24
    program. People come from all over the
  • 00:46:26
    United States to take part in it.
  • 00:46:31
    [Music]
  • 00:46:39
    Do you know what's going to happen for
  • 00:46:41
    you? Not really. No. No idea. A little
  • 00:46:44
    bit. What? What do you know? Um, we're
  • 00:46:46
    going to be homeless.
  • 00:46:49
    For 24 hours, these high school students
  • 00:46:52
    are going to live, eat, and sleep like
  • 00:46:54
    the homeless.
  • 00:46:56
    Much like 20 or so other participants,
  • 00:46:58
    all from middle class backgrounds. Each
  • 00:47:01
    person has paid €60 to take part in this
  • 00:47:04
    project. Janet Derell came up with the
  • 00:47:07
    idea 25 years ago. The wife of a
  • 00:47:09
    minister, she's already accepted 30,000
  • 00:47:12
    people to take part in this astonishing
  • 00:47:14
    roleplay challenge. The goal is to
  • 00:47:16
    create
  • 00:47:18
    compassionate care for humanity and
  • 00:47:21
    poverty. Everybody can get the American
  • 00:47:23
    dream, but when you're trapped in
  • 00:47:25
    poverty and the cycles of poverty, you
  • 00:47:28
    have to have an advocate to get you out.
  • 00:47:31
    Ladies, you have 15 minutes.
  • 00:47:34
    According to Janet, in order to truly
  • 00:47:36
    experience the life of a homeless
  • 00:47:38
    person, you have to start by looking
  • 00:47:40
    like them. In this secondhand clothes
  • 00:47:42
    store, the participants are encouraged
  • 00:47:44
    to dress like them. Homeless clothes.
  • 00:47:48
    I don't know. I don't know what homeless
  • 00:47:49
    people wear.
  • 00:47:52
    Probably going to wear these though.
  • 00:47:55
    You're looking for cool cool clothes.
  • 00:47:58
    Yeah. Count. There's a bunch of daters
  • 00:47:59
    over here. They're supposed to be
  • 00:48:01
    homeless. Yeah, but I'm a fashionable
  • 00:48:04
    jeans and these little boots,
  • 00:48:08
    but I think that they'll uh keep the
  • 00:48:10
    mosquitoes off of my um ankles. So,
  • 00:48:14
    that's I'm happy about that. For the
  • 00:48:16
    moment, it's not too demanding, but it
  • 00:48:19
    is going to get more complicated with
  • 00:48:20
    the second stage. Sleeping out in the
  • 00:48:23
    open, not in the streets, but safely in
  • 00:48:25
    this fenced yard.
  • 00:48:28
    However, 53-year-old mother Marta is
  • 00:48:30
    slightly concerned.
  • 00:48:33
    I know. I'm scared of bugs.
  • 00:48:35
    I'm scared of bugs.
  • 00:48:38
    She thought long and hard before signing
  • 00:48:40
    up to the program. It was her husband
  • 00:48:42
    who convinced her to take the plunge.
  • 00:48:45
    It doesn't look like real homeless
  • 00:48:47
    situation. Right. Right. Yes. Yes. It
  • 00:48:50
    doesn't smell like poop. It doesn't
  • 00:48:53
    smell like urine. It There's not rats
  • 00:48:56
    running everywhere. Yeah. No, this is
  • 00:48:58
    definitely luxury homelessness. Yeah.
  • 00:49:02
    Yeah. For sure.
  • 00:49:05
    A fact that is a comfort nevertheless,
  • 00:49:08
    and it won't be a very long night.
  • 00:49:12
    Good morning everyone. At 6:00 in the
  • 00:49:15
    morning, Janet Derell gives everyone a
  • 00:49:18
    wakeup call. And they don't look
  • 00:49:19
    particularly well-rested. Come on,
  • 00:49:21
    Martha.
  • 00:49:24
    It's not real homeless situation.
  • 00:49:26
    They're safe. They're safer than being
  • 00:49:28
    on the street, but this is not as safe
  • 00:49:30
    as being in the home with their family.
  • 00:49:33
    So, it just gives them a little bit more
  • 00:49:35
    reality of what living in the
  • 00:49:37
    environment does on your body. So by
  • 00:49:39
    tonight
  • 00:49:40
    takes about 24 hours to really start
  • 00:49:43
    getting the idea that
  • 00:49:45
    this this could be really rough. For the
  • 00:49:48
    next stage of the program, the
  • 00:49:50
    participants are let loose in the city
  • 00:49:51
    center. Their task is to find something
  • 00:49:54
    to eat on their own and without any
  • 00:49:56
    money.
  • 00:49:57
    [Music]
  • 00:50:04
    You can smell the food. Yeah.
  • 00:50:09
    So
  • 00:50:10
    should we should I ask this guy?
  • 00:50:14
    We cannot
  • 00:50:18
    beg for people at restaurants.
  • 00:50:22
    In Waco, like in many other cities in
  • 00:50:24
    the United States, begging is a
  • 00:50:25
    punishable offense. It's also forbidden
  • 00:50:27
    to rumage through the garbage cans. Oh,
  • 00:50:29
    there's no food in there. They are owned
  • 00:50:32
    by the city and reclaiming anything at
  • 00:50:34
    all is considered stealing. In order to
  • 00:50:37
    survive, the homeless in Waco are
  • 00:50:39
    therefore forced to break the law. Our
  • 00:50:41
    two participants are not going to find
  • 00:50:43
    anything to eat. And after 2 hours of
  • 00:50:46
    walking through the streets in 40° heat,
  • 00:50:48
    Marta feels faint.
  • 00:50:54
    She must resort to calling her husband
  • 00:50:56
    to the rescue.
  • 00:51:00
    But I feel like I feel like I'm too
  • 00:51:02
    weak. Well, tell me about yourself. like
  • 00:51:05
    I'm too old and fat and I can't do it.
  • 00:51:08
    You've learned something about yourself
  • 00:51:10
    and what it would like what it would be
  • 00:51:12
    like to be homeless
  • 00:51:14
    at your age. And it' be hard. Are
  • 00:51:18
    Americans truly ready to face up to
  • 00:51:20
    poverty? Perhaps not. Their leader,
  • 00:51:22
    Donald Trump, has recently announced
  • 00:51:24
    that the rate of poverty is falling
  • 00:51:26
    dramatically. Despite this, 40 million
  • 00:51:29
    of his fellow citizens are still
  • 00:51:31
    suffering in its clutches.
タグ
  • homelessness
  • poverty
  • California
  • eviction
  • food stamps
  • support organizations
  • American dream
  • Appalachia
  • Waco
  • Los Angeles