New Documentary Uncovers Rising Rates of Student Homelessness in Las Vegas

Not Wax Productions and Clark County School District's Title I HOPE program collaborate on film project set to premiere in April

Learning to Survive: A Lesson in Student Homelessness shows the impact of homelessness from the perspective of the children and families experiencing it

Watch the trailer HERE

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year, more than 13,000 K-12 students in Las Vegas's Clark County School District experience homelessness. Upcoming documentary film Learning to Survive: A Lesson in Student Homelessness uncovers the challenges these students face and explores the impact of student homelessness through the eyes of those experiencing it, as well as the educators, academic researchers, school administrators and philanthropists fighting the uphill battle to minimize the rapidly growing impact of housing insecurity amongst Las Vegas families.

One student explains: "I was staying at bus stops and sleeping on the bus. I would buy a bus pass and fall asleep in the back of the bus. I still liked to learn, I still liked to go to school, but it was hard. My grades just kind of plummeted." This student's story is one of many important perspectives showcased in the documentary.

"The goal of this film is primarily to raise awareness around the issue of youth homelessness," said director Kevin Naughton. "When we think of homelessness, we typically think of adults, not children, so the crisis is far more invisible than it deserves to be."

"I think people have that NIMBYism thing — not in my backyard, right?" said Meg Pike, Title I HOPE coordinator. "It may not be directly in your backyard, but it is in our school district. And to me, if we can make this documentary and increase awareness about this population and remove some barriers for students, please, let's do it."  

After discovering Doubled Up, Naughton's documentary short on student homelessness in Akron, Ohio, Title I HOPE staff member Mariesol Gomez realized a film could identify the specific barriers these students face and foster sensitivity among employees in her own school district.

"The moment I watched it, I was profoundly moved," Gomez said. "The care, compassion and genuine dedication displayed by Not Wax Productions in creating Doubled Up gave me immense confidence in their ability to craft a full-length documentary."

Naughton formed Not Wax Productions to facilitate production in Las Vegas and hired Gregory Gardner of Aquarian Legacy Productions as an additional producer.

"Aquarian Legacy Productions currently produces socially conscious driven films and is honored to be a producing partner on Learning to Survive," Gardner said.

Learning to Survive: A Lesson in Student Homelessness will begin screening at Las Vegas locations in April 2025. Follow Not Wax Productions on Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube for the schedule.

Press Contact
Gregory Gardner
Aquarian Legacy Productions
310-699-5164
[email protected]

About Title I HOPE

The Title I Homeless Outreach Program for Education (HOPE) of the Clark County School District works to remove barriers for students experiencing homelessness, to enroll in school and educate school personnel, parents and unaccompanied youth of the educational options under McKinney-Vento Federal Law.

About Clark County School District

Established in 1956, the Clark County School District (CCSD) is the number one choice for families and students. As the nation's fifth-largest school district, we educate 289,000 students – offering a variety of nationally recognized programs, including Magnet Schools, Career and Technical Academies and Advanced Placement programs. CCSD educates 64 percent of the students in Nevada and works closely with community partners and business leaders to educate students to compete in a global economy.

About Not Wax Productions

A media production company with a focus on socially conscious documentary films, Not Wax Productions is led by Northeast Ohio independent filmmaker and journalist Kevin Naughton. In 2019, his documentary web series Inside Akron's Tent City was an official selection in the Cleveland International Film Festival and won "Best Documentary" at the Youngstown Independent Film Festival. In 2019, he was selected as one of the five inaugural recipients of SPACES Gallery's URGENT Art Fund, which he used to produce and direct Doubled Up. He also plays guitar and sings in the band Lowspot and is an untalented but enthusiastic skateboarder.

About Aquarian Legacy Productions

Aquarian Legacy Productions, LLC was formed in 2014 by Gregory S Gardner and Christina Santoscoy. The company has produced award winning films and hundreds of hours of interview footage chronicling Yogi Bhajan, 3HO and Sikh Dharma's history and licenses to various productions including HBO's documentary series Breath of Fire.

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SOURCE Not Wax Productions