A friend who's active working with homeless people in Vancouver wants to have a film festival on the topic this fall. Any recommendations of films? I'm sure she's most interested in recent films, but hey, anything that comes to mind would be swell.

These ones come to mind for me. Are they about homelessness, or just poverty?

The Gleaners and I

Man Push Cart

Chop Shop

Of course, there's also The Pursuit of Happyness

Not seen it yet and dunno whether it's available over there yet, but London to Brighton
deals with this.

Tsotsi?

Fisher King

Also depending on the definition of homeless Trainspotting

And if you consider "Foxes have holes, birds have their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" then that opens a few more possibilities.

Suspect
Sullivan's Travels
Pay It Forward

Do documentaries count? If so, Dark Days is great...

Do bad films count? August Rush

Much better films: The Edge of Heaven, Persepolis

Jean Renoir's Boudu Saved From Drowning, and its remake Down and Out in Beverly Hills.

Some of these might be a stretch, but they could add something to consider:
The Visitor
Noodle
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation
Lifeboat

How 'bout musicals? Oliver! is a great movie...

Thom (Asher) has been working with Sawbuck Productions, which are are founded more in social research and ethnographic documentary, but end up creating portraits of those who are lost in, "illicit drug use (e.g., heroin and crack cocaine) and drug sales, homelessness, street crime, and harm reduction (e.g., syringe exchange)."

They are short films, crafted with care, concise, and made as artistic as much as they are made for social representation.

Duh!
The Grapes of Wrath

I would hope documentaries count and Dark Days is a good selection. I would add The Salt Mines to the mix. Although, I suppose an actual selection may require more context.

For some reason, With Honors was the first film to pop into my mind.

But I don't recommend it for this festival.