Unsheltered Conversations

HomeAid
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Non-Profit
  • Updated Semiweekly

Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, a podcast from HomeAid America where we take an honest look at homelessness and the people, policies, and partnerships working to end it. In each episode, we'll talk with builders, nonprofit leaders, advocates, and those with lived experience to explore the deeper stories that often go untold.

  1. 16h ago

    Taylor Booth & Justin Zaricki — Building More Than Shelter: Fighting Food Insecurity Through School Pantries

    Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, the podcast from HomeAid America where we explore the human stories, partnerships, and solutions shaping the conversation around homelessness. This podcast is hosted by Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America. When we think about homelessness and housing insecurity, we often think about the need for shelter. But for many families, especially those living paycheck to paycheck, another challenge is happening simultaneously: food insecurity. Across the country, millions of children rely on school not only for education, but often for consistent meals and support. When families struggle to make ends meet, schools frequently become the first place where needs are identified and assistance is provided. Today's guests represent an inspiring example of how communities can come together to address those needs. Joining me are Taylor Booth, Executive Director of HomeAid Southern Nevada, and Justin Zaricki of Tri Pointe Homes, who serves as Vice President of HomeAid Southern Nevada's Board of Directors and Chair of the Shelter Build Committee. Justin has been involved in every school pantry project HomeAid Southern Nevada has completed. Together we'll discuss how these projects came to life, why they matter, and what happens when the building industry uses its expertise to support children and families beyond traditional housing projects. Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HomeAid⁠⁠⁠.

    30 min

  2. Jun 23

    Cindy Quenneville & Amy Schwabenlender — Surviving the Heat: Homelessness, Extreme Weather, and Community Response in the Desert Southwest

    Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, the podcast from HomeAid America where we explore the human stories, partnerships, and solutions shaping the conversation around homelessness. This podcast is hosted by Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America. As summer approaches, many Americans look forward to longer days, vacations, and warmer weather. But in cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas, extreme heat can quickly become deadly especially for people experiencing homelessness. For individuals living unsheltered, temperatures well above 100 degrees are not just uncomfortable; they create serious medical emergencies involving dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and even death. Today’s conversation is about preparedness, compassion, partnership, and action. Joining me are two leaders deeply engaged in this work: Cindy Quenneville, Executive Director of HomeAid Phoenix, and Amy Schwabenlender, CEO of Keys to Change, one of Arizona’s leading organizations serving individuals experiencing homelessness and operating key intake and coordinated response efforts throughout the region. Together, we’ll discuss what extreme heat means on the front lines of homelessness, how communities prepare and respond, and what all of us including the building industry can do to help save lives. Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HomeAid⁠⁠⁠.

    42 min

  3. Jun 9

    Crisand Giles & Glen Martin: Building Forward — Innovation, Leadership, and Housing Solutions in Northern California

    Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, the podcast from HomeAid America where we explore the human stories, partnerships, and solutions shaping the conversation around homelessness. This podcast is hosted by Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America. Today’s conversation brings together leadership, innovation,and impact through the lens of one of the most challenging housing markets in the country: Northern California. Glen Martin, a third-generation homebuilder and ManagingDirector at Avila Real Estate Capital, who is being inducted into the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame in 2026 after more than 40 years of leadership in the industry. And Crisand Giles, Executive Director of HomeAid NorthernCalifornia, who has been leading innovative housing solutions including tiny home communities and interim housing models that are making a real difference on the ground. Together, we’ll talk about leadership, innovation, policy,and how the building industry can be part of real solutions to homelessness. Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HomeAid⁠⁠⁠.

    40 min

  4. May 26

    Tom Grable: Building California — Leadership, Legacy, and the Future of Housing

    Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, the podcast from HomeAid America where we explore the human stories, partnerships, and solutions shaping the conversation around homelessness. This podcast is hosted by Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America. Today’s conversation is with someone whose career has helped shape the homebuilding industry in California for decades. Tom Grable recently retired as Division President of Tri Pointe Homes in Southern California after a remarkable career leading land acquisition, development, and homebuilding operations across one of the most complex housing markets in the country. He has also been deeply involved in industry leadership serving as Chairman of the California Building Industry Association and in numerous advocacy roles helping shape housing policy statewide. And in recognition of that impact, Tom is being inducted into the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame, one of the highest honors in the industry. Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HomeAid⁠⁠⁠.

    45 min

  5. May 12

    John, Staci, & Destiny: From Opportunity to Career — The HomeAid San Diego WORKS Story

    Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, the podcast from HomeAid America where we explore the human stories, partnerships, and solutions shaping the conversation around homelessness. This podcast is hosted by Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America. Today’s conversation is about something incredibly important and often overlooked in the conversation around homelessness: opportunity. We know that housing is foundational. But for long-term stability, people also need pathways to employment, purpose, and career growth. Because without income, long-term housing stability becomes incredibly difficult to sustain. That’s exactly what the HomeAid WORKS program is designed to do. HomeAid San Diego has built one of the most impactful versions of this program in the country, bringing together builders, employers, service providers, and community partners to create real career pathways in the construction industry. Since launching in 2022, the program has trained over 118 individuals with plans for 48 additional this year and continues to grow, helping participants gain skills, confidence, and access to meaningful employment opportunities. Episode Guests: John Peterson: Executive Director of HomeAid San DiegoStaci Reidinger: Board member and passionate advocate for the programDestiny Dubois: Graduate of the WORKS programLearn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HomeAid⁠⁠⁠.

    32 min

  6. Apr 28

    Gina, Don, & Theresa: A Place for Mothers — The Story of Precious Life Shelter

    Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, the podcast from HomeAid America where we explore the human stories, partnerships, and solutions shaping the conversation around homelessness. This podcast is hosted by Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America. Today’s conversation is especially meaningful as we approach Mother’s Day, a time when we reflect on the strength, resilience, and love of mothers everywhere. But for many women, especially those experiencing homelessness while pregnant or parenting young children, that journey can be incredibly fragile and uncertain. Episode guests: Gina Cunningham: Executive Director of HomeAid Orange County Los Angeles Theresa Murphy: Executive Director of Precious Life Shelter Don Jacobs: Architect whose vision and commitment have helped shape every phase of Precious Life since the very beginning Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HomeAid⁠⁠⁠.

    38 min

  7. Apr 14

    Kevin Fagan: The Lost and the Found

    Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, the podcast from HomeAid America where we explore the human stories, partnerships, and solutions shaping the conversation around homelessness. This podcast is hosted by Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America. Today’s conversation is with someone who has spent decades helping the public understand homelessness not just as a statistic, but as a deeply human story. Kevin Fagan is an award-winning journalist who spent many years reporting on homelessness for the San Francisco Chronicle. His reporting has taken him into encampments, shelters, hospitals, and city halls documenting the realities of life on the streets and the systems meant to respond to it. His book, The Lost and the Found, brings readers into the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness in a way that is honest, compassionate, and deeply revealing. At HomeAid, we recently featured Kevin’s book in our national newsletter and in the Recommended Reading section on our website, because it provides such a powerful lens into the human experience behind homelessness. Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠HomeAid⁠⁠⁠.

    38 min

  8. Mar 31

    Mandy Crater & Cindy Bell: Essentials Diaper Drive Episode

    Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, the podcast from HomeAid America, where we explore real solutions, real partnerships, and real stories behind the work to build a future without homelessness. This podcast is hosted by Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America. Today, we’re talking about something small but incredibly powerful. A diaper. For most parents, diapers are a routine part of raising a child. But for families experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, diapers can represent something much bigger, stability, dignity, and the ability to keep moving forward. Through HomeAid’s Essentials Diaper Drive, our affiliates and builder partners have come together to provide millions of diapers and essential items to families in need across the country. Joining me today are two incredible leaders who have helped make this effort what it is today, Mandy Crater, Executive Director of HomeAid Georgia, and Cindy Bell, Executive Director of HomeAid Colorado. Links: Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠HomeAid⁠⁠⁠See our HomeAid Affiliates

    30 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, a podcast from HomeAid America where we take an honest look at homelessness and the people, policies, and partnerships working to end it. In each episode, we'll talk with builders, nonprofit leaders, advocates, and those with lived experience to explore the deeper stories that often go untold.

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