The Film: Someone Lives Here
In October 2020, a carpenter named Khaleel Seivwright drove to a remote area of a Toronto park to build a small, insulated shelter. On the front of the shelter, he posted two signs: “Anyone is Welcome,” and the details to a GoFundMe page dedicated to raising money to build more. His idea is simple: to provide unhoused people outside in the winter with tiny, insulated shelter that would keep them safe and warm.
The project soon attracted international attention. With Toronto’s unhoused population rising, and a long winter approaching, many deem his shelters a life-saving measure. Donations to the GoFundMe surged. Before long, city officials take issue, and send Khaleel a cease and desist letter. Undeterred, Khaleel continues building and does his best to convince the world that his shelters are a viable interim measure for people living outside in the cold.
Someone Lives Here follows Khaleel’s story over the course of one brutal Toronto winter and captures an important chapter in the battle for the soul of a city.