On the Ground
The production team of Skid Row the Movie tallies two decades of spend to combat Homelessness and proffers a solution — San Augustine.
On the Ground
About the Film
San Augustine is a documentary short film that follows a team of filmmakers and community builders as they confront the largest footprint of homelessness in America — Los Angeles' Skid Row. Rather than documenting the crisis, the film documents the process of solving it: the planning, the setbacks, the politics, and the vision behind building a sustainable neighborhood designed to end the cycle for good.
The Vision
San Augustine is a proposed sustainable neighborhood in Indio, California — designed to break the cycle of homelessness through community, not just housing. A self-sustaining micro-community where residents have access to affordable housing, job training, mental health services, and shared spaces that rebuild the family and support networks that chronic homelessness destroys.
Land Acquisition
Secure acreage in Indio through community land trust partnerships, decoupling land costs from housing costs.
Community Design
Cluster housing around shared spaces — communal kitchens, gardens, and gathering areas — to encourage connection and belonging.
Sustainable Infrastructure
Solar power, water recycling, and urban farming — built for the desert climate of the Coachella Valley.
Supportive Services
On-site mental health care, substance abuse treatment, case management, and skills training for every resident.
Resident Economy
Create on-site jobs and microenterprises so residents build economic independence from within the community.
Phased Development
Start with core housing and infrastructure, then expand services and capacity over time as the community grows.
The Audacity
In 1983, Muhammad Yunus saw a chasm between those that had and those that needed. He also knew of a consistency whereby those who needed empathized with those who lent. Out of this vantage he patterned a unique form of lending — a micro-loaning system — that has since been cross-pollinated to various cultures while garnering him a Nobel Prize. This is the audaciousness that will be needed to resolve the homeless epidemic in Southern California — and by proxy our nation as a whole.
San Augustine, son of Saint Monica, will be the first sustainable, smart community for the homeless in the world — just repeat that aloud. Payment systems will be handled via a universal smart ID card, as pioneered in Ghana.
San Augustine will be replete with counseling, drug intervention, fire and rescue, law enforcement, and markets for clothing, groceries, and home improvement supplies — alongside mail facilities, medical care, and workforce development.
Over the 20 years we spent producing Skid Row, the state of California has spent in excess of $100 billion to combat homelessness — a purely conservative estimate. For one-tenth of that, and half the time, our problem will have a resolution, and our development will become the de facto point of reference for other municipalities to emulate.
Academy Award Winners
Over the past decade, the Academy has honored documentary short films that share a common thread — stories of dignity denied and reclaimed, of communities built where systems failed, of invisible lives made visible. These are the same themes at the heart of San Augustine.
Academy Award Winners
Through animation, these films explore displacement and the meaning of home, dignity stripped and restored, and the resilience of the human spirit. Every one deals with some dimension of what it means to lose, seek, or rebuild home, connection, and purpose.
Official Guidelines
San Augustine
Production
Get Involved
We are seeking initial Phase 1 development funding for a feature documentary centered on the homelessness crisis and the forward-thinking solutions aimed at meaningful, long-term change.
This phase builds the foundational creative materials needed to structure, position, and package the documentary for financing, partnerships, festival strategy, and production development.
Script & Story Development
$20,000
Creative development and writing led by writer Miguel Angelo Pate.
$10,000 upon commencement · $10,000 on completion of the development package
Decks & Website Updates
$5,000
Pitch materials and website development to support financing and outreach.
$2,500 upon commencement · $2,500 on completion
| Category | Initial | Final | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Script & Story Development | $10,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Decks & Website Updates | $2,500 | $2,500 | $5,000 |
| Total Development Budget | $12,500 | $12,500 | $25,000 |
This development phase establishes the narrative foundation, presentation materials, and strategic positioning necessary to move the documentary into financing and production.
