On Thursday June 25th, Supportive Housing of Waterloo (SHOW) was honored to welcome a sold-out audience to the premiere of Unhoused, Unheard and Unbroken, a powerful short documentary shining a light on the growing issue of older adult homelessness in Waterloo Region.

Created in partnership with Bright Light Digital and made possible through funding from the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program, the film shares the stories of four SHOW residents who experienced homelessness later in life. Following the screening, all four residents joined Executive Director Brian Paul for a heartfelt question-and-answer session, offering attendees the opportunity to hear firsthand about their journeys, the challenges they faced, and the life-changing impact of finding a place to call home. Their courage, honesty, and resilience left a lasting impression on everyone in attendance.

The evening was made even more special thanks to the generosity of our community partners. Guests enjoyed a wonderful selection of sweets generously provided by Seven Shores Community Café, while Conrad Grebel University College graciously hosted the event in their beautiful Great Hall. We are also grateful to the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging for their support in helping bring this important conversation to our community.

The overwhelming response to the premiere demonstrates just how important this conversation has become. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who attended, our residents who so bravely shared their stories, our partners at Bright Light Digital, and all of our sponsors who helped make this event possible.

If you weren't able to attend, don't worry—this is just the beginning. Stay tuned for future viewing opportunities as we look forward to sharing Unhoused, Unheard and Unbroken with an even wider audience and continuing the conversation about housing, dignity, and belonging for older adults in our community.

The premiere also received media coverage from the Waterloo Region Record. You can read their story to learn more about the documentary and the growing issue of older adult homelessness in our community HERE!