INUVIK - Armed with his video camera and a drive to help others, Dwayne Drescher wants to show the plight of homeless people in the North and why they deserve a chance at a normal life.

Dwayne Drescher is looking to bring the homelessness issue in Inuvik to the front lines. The budding Inuvialuit filmmaker is in the editing process of producing a video, which he plans to showcase in the region. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

"People have all sorts of stereotypes about people who live on the street," he said. "I want to show them they couldn't be more wrong."

Using his own camera and equipment at the Aurora College for editing, Drescher is eager to show others his work.

Drescher is an Inuvialuit beneficiary and is enrolled in the Aboriginal Language Instructor Program at the Aurora campus in Inuvik.

Because the Inuvialuit culture was once passed along with oral stories, Drescher believes that film is the logical step for his message.

Coming up with the subject of homelessness was one that came to him from his father.

"I was at home talking with my pops, when he told us how lucky we are for having a roof over our head and food on the table," said Drescher.

It was more than a week ago that the film project was announced in class and Drescher said his topic idea was a no-brainer.

One of his many roles in Inuvik is at the town library where he works as an assistant librarian. He said he sees a daily influx of homeless people who want somewhere warm to spend a few hours.

During the day, the Inuvik homeless shelter shuts down from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Inuvik Homeless Shelter manager Chayne Rogers said the shelter provides two hot meals a day and offers beds for anyone who wants one.

The shelter also provides opportunities for clients to work as they stay, doing chores and yard work.

The shelter has 15 people staying there nightly, with more using the service when the weather is cold.

During the day, the shelter is cleaned and supplies are brought in as needed. Some clients have been allowed to stay during the downtime, but it is on a case-by-case basis.

Drescher said people of the street need somewhere to go during the hiatus.

"I went around and started talking to people, seeing if they wanted to be on film."

More than a dozen people were approached by Drescher, with only two men agreeing to be on camera for the documentary.

"There were a lot of people who were shy or only wanted to be audibly recorded," said Drescher. "You have to respect that."

He said there were a handful of others who would speak with him off the record, to give an idea of the conditions they endure on a daily basis.

In the hours of raw footage taken, Drescher is seen walking through well-known sleeping areas while giving commentary on his perspective of the situation.

"How can anyone sleep in a place like this?" asks Drescher on tape, looking over a snowy culvert.

He is identifying broken homes and ruined relationships as one of the reasons for homelessness.

"It's those children that have seen foster care, and broken families for whatever reason that are suffering now."

With more than 50 minutes of edited footage on a timeline, the task of cutting and editing is now on the shoulders of Drescher and his instructor.

He said he would like the feature to run ten minutes long in length, but that isn't set in stone.

"I still have a way to go, but it's coming together," he said, staring into the computer screen in front of him.

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