As the heat picks up and Los Angeles continues to resist ICE, Theo speaks with Tanner Swanson of A New Leaf in Arizona to speak about the unique issues the state’s unhoused people face in increasingly lethal temperatures. While the year mark of the Grants Pass decision approaches and climate change’s consequences continues to spread, they speak on how the unhoused are being failed, and what needs to change.

Learn about A New Leaf: 

https://turnanewleaf.org/

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This week, Theo reports from Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, where necessary protest was met with violent retaliation from ICE, the LAPD, and the National Guard after the city was targeted for mass deportation. He reflects on the intersection of being unhoused and undocumented, and who gets left behind -- then, an interview with unhoused activist Secret.1Add reaction

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Theo is joined by author and journalist Claudia Rowe to discuss her latest book Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care and take a closer look at the ways that those in the foster system have faced discrimination and a complete lack of support for generations. The intersections and overlaps between systemics failure to those in (and out) of foster care are explored, and no stone is left unturned. Also: Theo discusses how the SNAP program rollbacks will affect the unhoused.

Buy Wards of the State here: 

https://bookshop.org/p/books/wards-of-the-state-the-long-shadow-of-american-foster-care-claudia-rowe/21706052

Follow Claudia here:

https://www.claudiarowejournalist.com/

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Houselessness is a global issue, and every unhoused person’s experience is unique. This week, Theo welcomes his first international guest to We the Unhoused — Greta shares her story of navigating houselessness in Europe and the UK, and how her experience is in conversation with how the unhoused are treated in the U.S.

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This week, Theo speaks with the legendary John Lee Hooker Jr. about his time being unhoused, the misconceptions media has around the unhoused, and how he found his way through addiction. Also, a moment to celebrate We the Unhoused's two Webby Award wins!

Follow John Lee Hooker Jr. here: 

https://johnleehookerjr.com/

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This week, Theo talks with Becks Heyhoe-Khalil about how houselessness is treated in America versus other places in the west -- and what needs to be done in the States to combat the numerous way the U.S. fails the unhoused on the city, state, and national levels.

Follow Dr. Heyhoe-Khalil's work here:

https://unitedtoendhomelessness.org/

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/becks-heyhoe/

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WE THE UNHOUSED IS NOMINATED FOR A WEBBY!

Vote for us here before April 17th: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/shows/public-service-activism

This week, Theo speaks with Amanda Nicholson and Max Flower about the pressing issue of harm reduction. We discuss how misinformation about harm reduction is weaponized against the unhoused and humane solutions for those struggling with addictions on the street are completely ignored. Amanda and Max share more about their work in building community and working with unhoused people, as well as their respective experience with houselessness and housing insecurity.

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This week, Theo welcomes returning guest and activist Curtis Howard and academic Kevin Smith to contrast the ways that the unhoused are presented by unhoused and housed media, respectively. Curtis was unhoused for three decades and was incarcerated multiple times, and shares not just his own history, but the history of why Black men are particularly vulnerable to being forced into this cycle. Then, Theo contrasts this talk with Kevin, whose new book around unhoused issues repeats a lot of common misconceptions around the unhoused. Who gets the bigger platform to tell their story? Take a closer took, and get educated, liberated, and motivated.

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This week, Theo looks to the future for the unhoused in America, and how to know your rights in an increasingly uncertain and hostile environment. He speaks with ACLU staff attorney Kath Rogers and Supervising Attorney for Tenants Rights at Inner City Law Kaimi Wenger about what you can do to protect yourself, and to remain educated, liberated, and motivated to move forward.

Learn more about Kath: https://www.aclusocal.org/en/biographies/kath-rogers

Learn more about Kaimi: https://innercitylaw.org/staff/

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In our final installment on the LA fires (for now), Theo speaks to Alex, a survivor of the Altadena Eaton fire about his recent experience, and his previous experience being unhoused years ago. Then, we check in with Rachel Sanoff, volunteer coordinator of the SELAH unhoused coalition in LA about the efforts they've done to assist with those newly unhoused by fire while continuing to support unhoused residents on the east side of the city.

Learn more about SELAH here: https://www.selahnhc.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.