This Wilmington Documentary Won a Mid-Atlantic Emmy

Photo courtesy of Short Order Production House

The Pathway Home is being recognized for its exploration of America’s homelessness crisis and potential to inspire nationwide change.

A film showing how a New Castle County program that provides shelter for the homeless while helping them return to being self-supporting has been recognized for its sensitive exploration of that nationwide social dilemma. The Pathway Home was created by Wilmington-based production company Short Order Production House and produced by New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. The 16-minute documentary won a mid-Atlantic Emmy for its portrayal of how the county in December 2020 converted a Sheraton hotel on Airport Road into Hope Center for the homeless.

The Emmy win—in the “Societal Concerns long-form” category—shines an even brighter spotlight on the issue of homelessness and the work the Hope Center continues to do in Delaware.

“We produced this documentary with the hope it will inspire other governments across our country to replicate it and bring dignity to an underserved part of our communities,” Meyer says. Short Order COO Matt Sullivan adds, “The Pathway Home recognizes all the people involved in making the Hope Center a success.”

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The film artfully weaves together conversations with county personnel working at the shelter with the residents themselves, many explaining how the shelter has provided a somewhat normal life, as well as the counseling they need to reenter the workforce and become self-sufficient.

“We started working on the film during Christmas 2020 and continued through much of last year,” Sullivan says. “We wanted [the film] to be as widely available as possible outside of the area, and it has been showing on YouTube as well.”

The list of mid-Atlantic Emmy winners can be found here.