At age 24, Nick Flynn started working at the Pine Street Inn, the largest shelter in Boston. It was here that he reconnected with his estranged father, who was unsheltered at the time. Ten years later, Nick shared the story in his moving memoir, “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City”, which was later adapted to the big screen as Being Flynn, starring Robert De Niro and Paul Dano.

Nick explores the story behind the story while shedding light on the origins of homelessness and the subsequent explosion of shelters across the United States.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

It doesn’t take much for someone to lose his or her way in life, but substance abuse certainly accelerates the process. Addiction is a painful problem that plagues people from all walks of life. No one is immune and that became abundantly clear in talking to Father Tom Weston, a Jesuit priest. The native Californian has been clean and sober for some 40 odd years. He’s spent those years working with people in recovery from Myanmar to Kitty Hawk, N.C. In this week’s podcast, he generously shares not only his personal story, but also important insights on how to live a better, more peaceful life. Father Weston is filled with wisdom. You’ll have to listen to learn what we’re talking about.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

Working as an educator and counselor in Stafford, VA, Christie Jones has come into contact with a lot of children experiencing homelessness. She decided to write Are We Home Yet?, her first book, to shine a light on the issue. Max, the main character, gives homeless children a chance to see themselves represented in a book while allowing non-homeless kids a chance to better understand what life may look like for someone who doesn’t have a traditional home or childhood. Jones hopes the book will help bring the epidemic of child homelessness out of the shadows by giving voice to those who inhabit a world that is too often stigmatized, or worse, ignored.

For more info on Are We Home Yet? or to purchase it yourself, click here.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

As Street Sense enters a new year, our executive director sits down to discuss the organization’s past, present and future. Brian, who has been fighting homelessness in the nation’s capital since the 80s, discusses what still needs to be done to solve the problem and how an exciting new Street Sense jobs training initiative might help.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

In a slight departure from our typical guests, we sit down with a policy maker. This is something we hope to do more and more. Laura Zeilinger has dedicated her professional career to working on behalf of low-income families who need access to better (and more) affordable housing. The former Executive Director of the US Interagency Council on the Homeless, Laura was chosen by Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2014 to oversee the Department of Human Services.

A full transcript of this interview is available here. 

A father, a jazz-lover, an artist, and an entrepreneur, Ken Martin is a true renaissance man. But after two heart attacks and a prolonged health struggle cost him his job and his home, he found himself sleeping at Reagan National Airport. In an ironic twist of fate, a man that worked in social services for over 20 years is now experiencing housing instability himself.

Yet Ken remains positive. A self-described “survivor,” he is working tirelessly to get a hat business off the ground and reclaim his life.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

Robert Williams says his years of service in Marine Corps helped him secure a HUD housing voucher, but not the respect and compassion that he and so many homeless veterans like him deserve. Surrounded by a society blind to the struggles of the homeless, Robert has turned to poetry and theatre to help increase awareness.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

In the last episode, we learned how Benjamin is a musician of and for the people. He performs with homeless musicians and will often donate some of his proceeds to folks who are struggling to make it on the streets. This time, Gates is going to reveal his origin story– how he found the cello, or rather how the cello found him. In addition to his music, Benjamin shares some heartfelt thoughts about the instrument’s sound and how it makes him feel while performing.

A full transcript of this interview is available here. 

Benjamin Gates grew up playing the cello. Now the instrument is his livelihood. From playing gigs at the Embassy of Sweden to the occasional wedding, Gates connects with the greater community through what he calls being a “musician of the people.” That’s not some fluffy promotional nickname – he means it. Tune in to hear how and why.

Gates played live at the Street Sense 2015 “Home is Where the heART Is” Fall Gala.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

It’s no secret that, whether you’re suffering from PTSD, depression, pain or grief — making art heals. Art therapy through music, dance and reciting poetry is gaining traction in all sorts of scientific studies. This week, in part two of our conversation with Angie Whitehurst, she shares her perspective on art, how it connects humanity and how it soothes the soul. Plus, art does not discriminate. “Everyone is an artist,” according to Whitehurst. Angie is one of the many Street Sense artists that will be performing at the October 1 Home is Where the heART Is gala event.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.