How This Powerful Documentary Sheds Light On L.A’s Houselessness Crisis And Amplifies Unheard Voices

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Los Angeles has long been the epicenter of a growing houselessness crisis, where sprawling tent encampments and unsheltered people are a daily reality. Yet, behind the statistics and headlines, there are personal stories that often go unheard.

Filmmaker Adam Silver’s latest documentary “Swept” shines a spotlight on these individuals, giving voice to the experiences of those navigating houselessness in LA. Partnering with Human Rights Watch (HRW), Silver’s film delves into the systemic failures that perpetuate the issue, offering a deeply human perspective on a complex crisis.

Together with Adam Silver and Tanya Greene, the US Program Director at the Human Rights Watch, we caught up to discuss their perspectives on the myths surrounding homelessness, systemic failures driving the crisis, and the urgent need to invest in affordable housing as the sustainable path forward.

In “Swept”, Silver follows Sonja, Harvey, and Michelle, three Angelenos whose stories represent a cross-section of the houselessness crisis. Though their backgrounds differ, they share the common struggle of navigating the difficult path of life on the streets of LA. “Each lost their housing in a unique way and take a distinct path as they strive to get back on their feet. Not all of them do, but ultimately this is a story of resilience and hope, not one of those films that wallow in misery,” Silver explained.

The film was created in conjunction with Human Rights Watch’s report You Have to Move, serving both as a visual representation of HRW’s research and a stand-alone character-driven story. “We wanted to make something that could help visualize HRW’s research and also serve as an engaging, character-first film that can live on its own,” Silver noted.

Dispelling Myths and Misconceptions

Both the film and the report examine the shortcomings of LA’s broken response to houselessness through the eyes of unhoused folks. Silver captured a personal side of houselessness that is often missing from policy discussions. “We felt their voices are so often cut out of the policy conversation and it was crucial to let them speak for themselves. I spent a lot of time with Sonja, Harvey, and Michelle and realized quickly that they are all strong advocates for the unhoused community with lived experience, and they could tell their own stories,” he added.

Silver admitted that, like many Angelenos, his understanding of the homelessness crisis was initially shaped by misconceptions. “I joined the project as a relative newcomer, and my understanding was limited to what most people probably ask themselves every day: How did we end up with all these tents on the streets?” he said. I learned quickly there are a lot of bullshit myths and misconceptions we needed to blow up in the film— some of them I believed myself before starting this work.

The Cost of Criminalization

One of the core issues highlighted in Swept is the ongoing criminalization of houselessness in LA. “The headline of HRW’s research is that LA, like many big cities, is still pursuing a ‘criminalization model’ to address houselessness,” Silver explained. “The city does this on the sanitation side through sweeps, which confiscate and destroy people’s possessions under the guise of ‘cleaning up.’ Police are often present during these sweeps, ready to arrest anyone who attempts to hold onto their property.”

This approach, Silver noted, is both ineffective and costly. “The last decade has shown we cannot ‘arrest’ our way out of houselessness or force people off the street when they have nowhere acceptable to go. A lot of police officers I spoke to know this better than anyone and agree: this is not working and not what they signed up for,” he added.

In fact, HRW’s report revealed that unhoused people make up nearly 40% of all LAPD’s arrests and citations. The financial and social costs of this strategy are enormous, with resources being funneled into law enforcement and temporary solutions rather than permanent housing.

Human Rights Watch’s U.S. Program Director, Tanya Greene, echoed this sentiment. “All criminalization accomplishes is to drive unhoused people out of the public eye and detract from real solutions,” she said. “We know that the only way to end houselessness is to invest in affordable housing and keep people in their homes.”

Greene pointed out that this issue also has significant racial justice implications. “Because of a long history of discriminatory policies, Black people and other community members of color experience greater housing insecurity,” she explained. “Black folks comprise around eight percent of the total population, but make up one-third of Los Angeles’ unhoused.”

Unfortunately this summer the US Supreme Court overturned lower court rulings and decided that enforcing laws criminalizing unhoused people, even in the absence of available shelter, was constitutional. “But just because this cruel policy is allowed doesn’t mean we should adopt it,” Greene added.

The Real Drivers of Homelessness

Another myth Silver addressed in Swept is the idea that unhoused people are somehow to blame for their circumstances. “This doesn’t really hold up when you look at data. We have 75,000 unhoused people in L.A. County,” he said. “With numbers this high, we have to go beyond ‘these are messed-up people who can’t get their lives together’ and realize this is a system-level problem.”

Wages in big cities like LA have not kept up with the cost of living, particularly the cost of housing. This lopsided market has created a precarious housing situation, where people are so rent-burdened (paying more than 30% of their income for housing) that if one single thing goes wrong they’re at risk of losing their housing. “Sonja says in the film that half of LA is one paycheck away from houselessness, and she’s not wrong,” Silver noted.

Greene concured, emphasizing that while individual factors like job loss, illness, or mental health conditions may contribute to houselessness, the broader drivers are structural. “The data shows it’s the big structural factors that really drive poverty and houselessness—bias, an overreliance on the free market to regulate housing, and government policies,” she explained.

The film also challenges the misconception that unhoused people prefer to live on the streets. “It turns out no one ‘likes’ being on the street and living in a tent,” Silver explained. When someone refuses an offer of housing or services, there is often a good reason: shelters can be dangerous and unsanitary. Motel rooms are far away, you could get moved halfway across the city, away from your community that’s been keeping you alive. And then subjected to dehumanizing rules. When you accept one of these offers, you have to give up your tent and most of your belongings. You might not be able to bring your dog or your partner with you. “It’s a shitty trade. We can do better on the type of housing we offer people— no one is asking for a three-story mansion, just a little bit of stability and dignity,” he added.

A Call for Permanent Solutions

When it comes to solutions, Silver and Greene are clear: criminalization doesn’t work, but permanent, affordable housing does. Silver pointed out that the money currently being spent on criminalizing the homeless population could be better used to invest in long-term solutions. “We’re spending billions on criminalization and emergency shelter, and it’s making the problem worse. Let’s do something that works,” he urged.

Greene reinforced this point, emphasizing that addressing the homelessness crisis requires a shift in both mindset and policy, “Instead of doubling down on criminalization, we should do what actually works: keep people in their homes and develop more permanent, affordable housing that aligns with the idea that adequate housing is a human right.”

As Silver noted, the most important takeaway from Swept is that nobody wants tents on the street—whether it’s homeowners, renters, politicians, business owners, or unhoused people. They all agree. “The most efficient, cost-effective way to get people off the street is simply to provide permanent housing,” he concluded.

“Swept” is a powerful reminder that, while the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles is complex, the solutions are within reach. All it takes is the political will to make them happen.

Watch the trailer for Swept or check out the full documentary here. Additionally, you can read Human Rights Watch’s report You Have to Move for further insights into the policies shaping L.A.’s response to homelessness.