Home: a small, four-letter word that has an infinite number of definitions. But for a significant portion of the population – both in Milwaukee and throughout the nation – the idea of a consistent and constant place to call home, by any definition, is a worrying day-to-day challenge, one often unseen by outside eyes.

However, on Tuesday night, three of those small everyday untold human stories of struggle, as well as triumph, will be brought to the big screen thanks to "Our Journey Home," a documentary receiving a one-night-only showing at 7 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre.

Produced by the five-time Emmy-winning production company Stillmotion – who’s collaborated with Cartoon Network, the NFL and, perhaps most famously, CBS/Showtime for a short doc about a Ohio woman who dedicated her unsung career to sewing the official footballs for some of the NFL’s most important games – and narrated by singer-songwriter (and recent Rob Lowe roast participant) Jewel, the film tells the inspirational stories of three individuals trying to support their families, improve their communities and defy the stereotypes attached to those who live in public housing.

"The film examines the role we all play in supporting those who struggle in having a stable place from where they can grow and dream," said Courtney Rice, director of communications for HAI Group on behalf of ReThink.

Tuesday night’s screening, hosted by Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee and ReThink – an awareness initiative focused on changing perceptions about public hosing – will be followed by a panel and Q&A session as a part of the nationwide touring event’s mission to "spark dialogue about public housing within local communities," according to Rice.

"Public housing offers more than a roof over someone’s head," she added. "It provides the stability a father needs to develop job skills or a mom needs to earn a college degree, and it provides services for veterans, our disabled and our seniors. Public housing provides homes and services for approximately two million people in the U.S.; however, the need is much greater than that. Given current economic and federal budget conditions, public housing availability continues to decrease, while the need for it continues to grow."

A part of trying to raise that awareness was, of course, teaming up with Stillmotion for "Our Journey Home," which was impressively brought together in a swift eight-month production process.

"That’s a rapid schedule for a feature-length documentary of this scope," said Patrick Moreau, director and Stillmotion co-founder, "but everybody involved felt that the issue was pressing and that we need to have people seeing this by the end of the year."

As with any documentary feature, much of the early process behind "Our Journey Home" was properly researching the topic, as well as researching potential subjects for the film. To do so, Moreau and Stillmotion organized a "street team" of around 30 storytellers from across the country to not only help look up the issue, but also seek out individuals – whether through online surveys, posting flyers around public housing and door-to-door visits – whose stories could make for a strong, emotionally resonant project.

"We wanted to ensure we had a diverse cast of characters so that the audience could really understand that the challenge of public housing isn’t limited to just one race, religion, work ethic, attitude or any other bucket we often try to put people in as a way of rationalizing why they’re in the situation that they’ve found themselves in," Moreau said.

The search landed on three individuals. One, Byron Ellis, grew up in public housing in the midst of a high-crime area of Los Angeles hoping to change the assumptions made about those in his living situation. He’s now a medical resident at the University of Colorado, specializing in orthopedic surgery.

Another story follows Stephanie Graham, a mother who, after series of tragic, unfortunate and unforeseeable circumstances, went from her home in a safe neighborhood to living on the street – to finding a new home in public housing to rebuild her life.

The final story woven into "Our Journey Home" follows Rosalio, whose life growing up in public housing created an environment where he and all four of his siblings could make their Spanish-speaking mother’s dream of sending her children to college a reality.

The stories packed into "Our Journey Home" of course aim to move the audience’s hearts – but also their definitions and preconceived notions about words like "public housing" and "home."

"I hope people leave the theatre questioning the role of home in their own lives, and having a deeper understanding of how being without a home can happen to anybody," Moreau said. "The hope is to remove the ‘us’ versus ‘them’ thinking and help the audience deeply connect with those affected by the lack of public housing so that they can then take action in their local communities to stand for those whom our society isn’t currently supporting."