Central City Concern, The Letty Owings Center
Stability and care sit at the center of this Central City Concern housing documentary, created to highlight the role of housing in long-term recovery. The Letty Owings Center profiles a transitional housing program serving women and gender-diverse people navigating recovery, trauma, and reentry in Portland, Oregon.
The story unfolds through the voice of a former resident. As she guides viewers through the space, the film offers an intimate walkthrough of the center while reflecting on what it meant to arrive there during a moment of deep uncertainty. The focus stays on experience rather than explanation.
Grounding the Story in Lived Experience
Rather than relying on statistics or program language, the film remains rooted in lived experience. The voiceover moves through hallways, rooms, and shared spaces, weaving personal memory with present-day visuals of the center in use. Each space carries meaning shaped by safety, routine, and trust.
Staff perspectives and supporting context help explain how the program works. However, the emotional core remains with the resident’s experience of dignity and possibility. Housing is presented not as an endpoint, but as a foundation.
A Welcoming Portrait of Stability and Support
The result is a calm, welcoming portrait of a place designed to meet people where they are. The film reflects a housing-first approach built on consistency, care, and human connection rather than urgency or pressure.
Rather than serving as an explanation of services, the film was created to help reduce uncertainty for people considering the program. By offering a clear, lived-in view of the space and the experience of arriving there, it invites prospective clients to imagine themselves in a place built around safety, dignity, and support.
Ultimately, The Letty Owings Center helps open the door to possibility. It offers reassurance during a moment of transition and creates space for curiosity, trust, and the first steps toward stability.
This project is part of our broader Nonprofit & Community Storytelling work and our ongoing collaborations with organizations focused on housing, recovery, and community-centered care.
Client: Central City Concern
Project: The Letty Owings Center
Industry: Nonprofit / Housing / Recovery Services
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Services: Documentary-Style Filmmaking, Nonprofit Storytelling, On-Location Production, Post-Production
