The Abridged version:
- “Unhoused Neighbors” is a documentary film about life on the streets of Sacramento made by local filmmaker Preston Allen.
- The film was shot across the region by an all-volunteer crew over the course of more than 100 shooting sessions.
- After recently screening at the San Antonio Film Festival, the film is scheduled to air locally on PBS KVIE at 10 p.m. Aug. 31.
This story was reported by a member of the Abridged by PBS KVIE Community Reporters program. The Community Reporters program empowers local residents to report stories with guidance and support from the Abridged editorial staff.
“Unhoused Neighbors,” a 55-minute documentary by Sacramento-based independent director/producer Preston Allen, recently screened at the 32nd annual San Antonio Film Festival and is set to air locally on PBS KVIE tonight.
Shot entirely on Sacramento streets, Allen and director of photography Gavin Viega trace the lives of seven unhoused individuals from spring 2023 through winter 2024, capturing their daily hopes and disappointments.
“’Unhoused Neighbors’ invites viewers to face the uncomfortable realities of what it means to live houseless and in extreme poverty in Sacramento, the capital of the wealthiest state in the country,” Allen said during a recent interview in his Newton-Booth home, surrounded by a collection of antique movie cameras. Allen gestures with a forearm bearing a tattoo of an old Hollywood camera; his commitment to his craft seems indelible.
“People have a reductionist view of the unhoused,” he said. “Shelterless people are not some monolithic ‘them.’ We tried to capture the fullness of each person — those who were brave enough to be in our film.”
Allen said the film aims to dismantle the myths and stereotypes that allow people to tune out local poverty.
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“It confronts myths that the unhoused are drug addicts, homeless by choice, or just lazy,” Allen said. “It’s easy to stereotype the unhoused, make them invisible, and go about our day-to-day business guilt-free.”
The film spent five years in development across pre-production, filming and editing. In 2022, Allen founded his own production house, Tao Dog Productions LLC, to retain full creative independence.
“One of the main benefits of a small independent production company is we’re materially more agile; the costs are a fraction of a traditional production,” Allen said.
The crew gathered a monumental volume of footage, shooting twice a week during more than 100 day-and-night camera sessions in all weather conditions, Allen said. He estimates traditional production costs could have easily risen into the high six figures, but the entire film crew of around 20 volunteered their time, allowing Allen to make the film at a fraction of the typical cost.
Within that budget, the team chose to render the documentary entirely in black-and-white to soften the impact of visual noise from chaotic street environments, creating a patient, compassionate rhythm that lingers with its subjects.
Among those featured is Carl White, a sharply dressed Army veteran.
“The only way you’d know I’m homeless is if you saw me walk into my tent,” White said in the film.
According to data from Sacramento Steps Forward, White is one of more than 500 veterans found living on Sacramento County streets during the 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) count. While overall homelessness in the county rose by nearly 13% to 7,458 individuals over the last two years, the veteran demographic actually saw a modest decrease.
“Unhoused Neighbors” purposefully introduces its audience to individuals who break common public misconceptions. Participant Lauren Diehl, a transgender woman who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, initially lives out of her vehicle after being displaced by family members.
The film tracks her journey as she is thrown a lifeline by a new romantic partner, charting both her moments of resilience and her setbacks.
Other stories highlight the sheer volatility of survival.
Tammy Hoone, who stayed in encampments stretching from X Street to Front Street, recounts losing her tent to severe storms, her kitten to a traffic accident, and her belongings to city sanitation trucks. The film captures her stark physical transformation from a cheerful, chatty demeanor in the summer to a hollow, gaunt presence by winter while squatting in an unaffordable apartment.
Viewers are also introduced to “Alicia” Griscielda King, who speaks openly and optimistically about her mental health and sobriety struggles. The cameras document her determination as she manages the logistics of renting a vehicle to practice driving for an upcoming job transition.
Allen, a 42-year-old Sacramento native, utilized an observational, cinéma vérité style to ensure a raw, uncurated perspective.
“Observational documentaries allow their subjects to be more purely themselves,” Allen explained. “It’s a style that pursues honesty and authenticity, rather than a documentary style that is solution-oriented with a call to action in the third act.”
Looking forward, Allen noted how rapidly the cultural and political landscape has shifted since his crew wrapped filming, pointing to sweeping events like aggressive ICE deportations, foreign conflicts, and the ecological impacts of AI data centers.
“I find that connecting with others and community building feels like the only thing we have right now,” Allen said. “’Unhoused Neighbors’ would never have been if it wasn’t for our volunteers and community showing up and supporting us.”
Allen and his crew are currently in pre-production on a new project, an international documentary following the pipeline of undocumented immigrants deported from the U.S.
“Unhoused Neighbors” is scheduled to air locally on KVIE at 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31.
James Smith is a member of the Abridged Community Reporters program. A retired nurse investigator for the state of California, James studies French and bikes along the American River Parkway in his free time. He lives in Midtown with his husband of 26 years.
