Introduction
The documentary that was chosen for the reaction paper is called “Poverty in America”; the movie was filmed in 2017, and it aims to analyze the real situation with affordable housing programs in the United States (“Poverty in America Documentary 2017”). As for the main points of the documentary, the latter reviews common affordable housing programs and attempts at evaluating their effectiveness. As is clear from the documentary, the majority of the researchers whose opinions are presented are skeptical about the real outcomes of the discussed programs. To illustrate the information discussed by specialists and investigators, filmmakers also present stories of a few African-American single mothers whose opportunities to find affordable dwelling units are limited. The particular topic discussed in the extremely important movie is the impact of inequality and bribery on the access of low-income Americans to affordable housing.
Analysis
The issue that has been selected is extremely important as the discussion presented in the documentary indicates negative tendencies that still exist in our society and encourage inequality. The authors of the discussed documentary provide a lot of facts that prove the existence of factors making current affordable housing programs in the United States less effective. In particular, the authors present these problems as they are, allowing the audience to get acquainted with opposite opinions on the topic. The impact of corruption and racism on housing opportunities for low-income citizens is a striking element as the documentary shows that roadblocks decreasing the quality of life of low-income citizens exist on different levels.
The filmmaker’s motivation and objective for writing
As for the motivation of the filmmaker, it is clear that the authors of the movie are concerned about the current position of low-income citizens in the United States who cannot find places to live that they can afford. Understanding that media coverage has always been one of the most effective means of increasing social awareness, the authors of the documentary present a great number of facts to attract the attention of specialists on different levels who have the power to improve the situation with the availability of habitation. Being motivated by growing inequality, the authors decided to conduct their investigation.
The filmmaker’s intentions and important topics
The filmmakers are trying to show the situation with affordable housing in the country as it is, but it is clear from the way that materials are presented that they are skeptical about the programs’ effectiveness. I suppose that people who created the documentary want the audience to “wake up” and notice the great difference between the promises of organizations that are supposed to improve access to affordable housing opportunities and the actual results. Also, telling the story of Terry Anderson whose plans to build more housing units for low-income citizens hit a roadblock due to the misunderstanding between different social classes, the filmmakers want the audience to understand that the lack of opportunities for the vulnerable population is not always caused by corruption. I agree that the topic is extremely important because the disunity between different social classes and races is one of the worst social tendencies that need to be estranged.
Evidence that the filmmaker presents to substantiate the case
The filmmakers present different types of evidence to substantiate the case and show the reasons why so many people become homeless. They include the official data on government spending on affordable housing and the statistics on homelessness. Also, the filmmakers discuss scandals related to Pinnacle Housing Group and other organizations whose members earned money using low-income housing contracts (Maune 12). Apart from that, a range of interviews with the officials and independent researchers is presented. The evidence seems to be sufficient to support the claims made by the filmmakers as the latter use numerous ways to demonstrate the lack of professional integrity of specialists from the discussed companies. The evidence that the filmmakers demonstrate is persuasive in the majority of cases as they include the information that can also be found in other sources. For instance, they provide the analysis of the data concerning tax credits that have been given since 1997 to prove the ineffectiveness of some affordable housing efforts. The evidence is quite strong, but the filmmakers could have used more financial data to sound more persuasive.
Relevance of the evidence
The evidence can be regarded as relevant and current as the filmmakers tell about the most recent affordable housing scandals. They include the case of Carlisle Development Group whose managers were accused of using secret bank accounts to hide a large sum of money. Also, the evidence demonstrates current relationships between people from different social groups, and the latter proves the impact of racism and social segregation on housing opportunities for low-income citizens.
Scope for improvement
As for the points that could help to improve the work, the authors could have provided more information on the Section 8 voucher application in the United States to attract the attention of the audience. Thus, the filmmakers could devote more time to tell about the discrimination against families trying to use their vouchers. Nevertheless, the work is strong as the information presented is credible.
Conclusion
In the end, the documentary raises a range of important topics such as inequality and injustice that have also been discussed during the course. The work indicates that single mothers (especially those belonging to racial minorities) present a vulnerable group when it comes to housing opportunities due to the high influence of class position (Wyly 30). Just like numerous researchers focusing on housing problems, the filmmaker’s highlight that the current affordable housing policy in the United States needs to be improved as soon as possible.
Works Cited
Maune, Alexander. “Enterprise Governance, Investor Trust and Liquidity in the Banking Industry: Evidence from an Emerging Economy.” Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, vol. 22, no. 2, 2017, pp. 2-25.
“Poverty in America Documentary 2017.” YouTube, uploaded by First Documentary, 2017, Web.
Wyly, Elvin K. “Why (Not a Right to) Housing?” Housing Policy Debate, vol. 23, no. 1, 2013, pp. 29-34.