The Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Civic and Urban Engagement at Wittenberg University recently partnered with the Reentry Coalition to co-host a film screening of Evicting the American Dream, a featured program, during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Nov. 16-22.
More than 50 people, including Wittenberg University staff and students, attended the film screening on Nov. 20 at the Clark County Public Library, which also featured an art display and a panel discussion about the film, unjust evictions, and housing instability.
Sponsored by Clark County Reentry, Clark County Ohio, the Clark County Public Library, the Hagen Center, the Springfield Museum of Art, and the Springfield City School District, the event included a community panel with County Commissioner Charles Patterson, City Commissioner Tracey Tackett, Wittenberg class of 2021, Lynn Payton, coordinator of family outreach connections with the Springfield City School District, and Katherine Rowell, a retired professor of sociology at Sinclair Community College who also taught a class on poverty at Wittenberg.
“Together, we designed a format that emphasized meaningful dialogue with community leaders and promoted the event both on and off campus,” said Kristen Collier, interim director of the Hagen Center. “Looking ahead, we remain committed to advancing collaborative efforts that address housing insecurity in Springfield. This documentary was a powerful reminder of the human side of housing insecurity—right here in our community. It is part of our responsibility to provide students the opportunity to see these realities and imagine the change they can create."
The film focuses on eviction, the right to counsel, the affordable housing crisis, and children and racial inequality. Directed by David Barnhart of Counter Stories Pro-ductions, the film was made in Dayton as part of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and was co-produced by Rowell. The film is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
The Hagen Center co-sponsored a second event on the same day, Network with YET, that took place at The Dome, 700 S. Limestone Street. Put on by the Youth Empowerment Taskforce, which the Hagen Center helped to establish and which helps in leading the coalition, the event allowed attendees to learn about five local organizations and the resources each provides youth and families, as well as to discuss common important causes and ways to collaborate. The five organizations included the Community Health Foundation, the Clark County Combined Health District, Clark County Department of Jobs and Family Services, the Clark County Juvenile Court, and the Nehemiah Foundation.
The Network with YET was formed in 2023 to address the noticeable need to provide information regarding youth services and events through an easily accessible tool/guide for youth and families, and is a part of the Clark County Health Improvement Plan Coalitions. In collaboration with community partners, its mission is to advance the safe and healthy development of Clark County youth and families through strategic planning and support. The youth and family resource guide is available here.
