All It Takes Is One Person to Care

Gary Warth, San Diego Union Tribune

On this episode of ‘Homeless in San Diego: Real People, Real Stories,’ host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services is joined by Gary Warth of the San Diego Union Tribune. Warth shares his unique perspective about the stories and issues surrounding homelessness. The purpose of their discussion was to share insight into the realities some people face while experiencing homelessness as well as help listeners be more educated and informed about what’s taking place in our communities.

One of Warth’s goals as a journalist investigating a story is to understand what homeless people need rather than allowing committee members to make decisions for them. For example, he spoke with a woman in her mid-60s. She has a five page resume and wants to work, but fears not being able to find a job because she cannot access a shower and does not have clean clothes. Another man said he waits in line at 4am to use a public shower with a hundred other people and only half in line may get to use it.

Warth also gave insight into the daily lives of several homeless veterans and their success stories. He shared that homeless people are capable of changing their lives in major, incredible ways and shared inspirational stories about their journeys from the streets to stability and how they are now in a place to help others.

Another topic Warth and Anglea discussed was the impact that one person can have on another person’s life, especially by their outreach efforts. All it takes is one person to care about someone to motivate great changes.

This week’s podcast is a great way to understand the current issues surrounding homelessness within our San Diego community, gain more insights into their daily lives, inspire kindness, and to help listeners become more educated and informed.

Calls to Action:

• If a listener has a story that’s worth sharing, reach out to Gary to learn more about available resources. Contact Gary at: gary.warth@sduniontribune.com | Phone: (760) 529-4939.

• Read what Gary is writing to learn more about the stories he shares that are informative and eye-opening.

• Get involved in agencies, make donations, and Gary recommends that people stay educated about the work going on in their community.

• Reach out to Interfaith to see how you can help through donations to help end and prevent homelessness this year.

You Are Not A Lost Cause

Krysta Esquivel and David Baker

On this episode of ‘Homeless in San Diego: Real People, Real Stories,’ host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, is joined by Executive Director Krysta Esquivel and David Baker of YMCA Youth & Family Services (YFS). David shares his personal journey, coming from “a background of dysfunction,” and experiencing homelessness at a young age. “I would say I never really had a home,” said David, until he found YMCA YFS. Krysta discusses the goals of the organization around social responsibility and helping vulnerable youth and families. David is a living example of how the cycle can be broken; not only is he no longer homeless, but he is now an employee at YMCA YFS, helping those who are in the shoes he once was; and he wants all youth experiencing homelessness to know: you are not a lost cause.

Calls to Action:

• Understand that there is a fundamental difference between homeless youth and homeless adults, and therefore, we must implement different interventions.

• Interact with your local policy-makers. Let them know that there are people behind this cause.

• Visit YMCA Youth & Family Services’ website to learn more about their great programs

• View California’s Road Map: Preventing and Ending Youth Homelessness

Recuperative Care: A Way Out of Homelessness

Tracy and Max at Interfaith’s Hawthorne Veteran and Family Resource Center

On this episode of ‘Homeless in San Diego: Real People, Real Stories,’ host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, is joined by Tracy, a Navy Veteran and graduate of Interfaith’s Recuperative Care Program located at our Hawthorne Veteran and Family Resource Center. Tracy also introduces Max, his loyal companion and the first service dog to live at the Recuperative Care center (and to come on the podcast!), as well as his son, Caleb, who is inspired by and proud of his dad’s journey.

Tracy with his son, Caleb at his graduation.

When Tracy first came to Interfaith, he was living in his car and struggling to treat his PTSD and schizophrenia. When he was offered a way out of homelessness through Recuperative Care, Tracy was skeptical of accepting the help. Tracy shares how grateful he is that he did and how Interfaith truly turned his life around.

Calls to Action:

• Read the VOSD article Greg mentions about Interfaith’s Recuperative Care Program: New State Law Is Forcing San Diego to Grapple with It’s Lack of Recovery Options for Homeless Patients

• “Give financially, help more patients, and help more vets in Recuperative Care get back on their feet… Give to Interfaith’s Recuperative Care, they help many people everyday,” - Tracy. Click here to donate

• Get involved in volunteer roles at Recuperative Care. Click here to learn more

• “I would challenge people to enter professions to help get people out of homelessness,” - Caleb

Life is Meant For More

Reverend Meg Decker, Interfaith Board Chair

On this episode of ‘Homeless in San Diego: Real People, Real Stories,’ host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, is joined by Reverend Meg Decker, Board Chair at Interfaith and leader of Trinity Episcopal Church in Escondido. As the ‘boss lady’ Rev. Meg discusses her experiences volunteering at Interfaith’s Haven House Shelter, sharing conversations with residents over their pancakes with sporks, and also speaks to her role as Board Chair, making tough decisions that directly impact those residents. Greg and Meg discuss how our neighbors experiencing homelessness truly have to fight back and the interesting conversation that results shows us that life is meant for more.

Calls to Action:

• If you’re clergy, Interfaith needs more volunteer chaplains! Learn more at https://www.interfaithservices.org/volunteer/

• Serve a meal at Interfaith’s Haven House Shelter. All of our dinners are made and served by volunteer groups and families! The current openings are listed here

• Donate to Offering Hope in Housing. You can be the difference in ending someones homelessness. Click here to donate and select “Hope in Housing”

MythBuster Edition: Affordable Housing

On this special "mythbuster edition" episode of ‘Homeless in San Diego: Real People, Real Stories,’ host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes back Rebecca Louie from Wakeland, an affordable housing developer, and Bruce, a formerly homeless resident of Wakeland housing. Greg, Rebecca, and Bruce discuss the common myths around affordable housing, and one very important truth: “there is only one thing that solves homelessness; and that is housing.”

Calls to Action:

• If affordable housing comes to your community - show up or write a letter and say, “I do want this here!”

• Learn more, get out, make your voice heard. Be a positive voice - YOU make a difference. As Rebecca states, “…anytime we would get one positive phone call - when we were getting so many negative ones - it makes an extraordinary difference.”

• If you hear of a project in your jurisdiction, support it. And Greg adds, “You also don’t have to wait for a project to come on the docket. You can go to the council and put in a notice to speak (open comment at the beginning) and say that you support the creation of more of affordable housing. That it’s the just, right thing to do.”

A Vision of Housing for All

Terry and Greg in the podcast studio.

On this episode of 'Homeless in San Diego: Real People, Real Stories,' host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes Terry, a veteran who was formerly homeless and is now an advocate for a vision of housing for all.

As a native Californian and San Diego resident for 47 years now, Terry shares his story of how he has experienced homelessness for most of his life. Greg and Terry discuss how different life circumstances can cause homelessness and some of the ways our listeners can help. Please send any questions you have for Terry - he will be returning to the show for a future Q&A episode!

Calls to Action:

• Send in your questions for Terry by filling out the online form located at the bottom of the homelessinsandiego.org homepage - he will be back for a future episode of Q&A!

• You can be an advocate like Terry and ask city council to address San Diego’s housing needs

• Be aware and care - as Terry says, “let’s lookout for the people”
  

These Are My Walls

Holly and Tom in the podcast studio.

On this episode of ‘Homeless in San Diego: Real People, Real Stories,’ host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, is joined by Holly Nelson, Carlsbad Clinical Outreach Manager. Holly also introduces Tom, who had spent eight years on the streets until two years ago when he began his journey with Interfaith.

As a LCSW (licensed clinical social worker), Holly discusses some of the challenges faced by Tom and many others who have experienced homelessness, including the struggles around falling into the cycle of self-medicating to ease the pain. Tom shares how he found Interfaith and met Holly, who in addition to helping with benefit enrollment, finding housing, and becoming sober, has also become a dear friend who he can count on. Tom's strength has paid off as he expresses how he feels when he looks around his home - "pure gratitude, these are my walls."

Calls to Action:

• Advocate to local leaders to support programs like HOPE (Homeless Outreach Program Entitlement) and organizations like Interfaith, which can help people like Tom

• Refer people to services - spend a little time to listen to someone’s story and if they have the desire to overcome homelessness you can refer services that can help them. Interfaith holds walk-in intake hours at the following locations/times:

  • Escondido- Betty and Melvin Cohn Center:

    550 W Washington Ave., Escondido, CA 92025; (760) 489-6380

    Walk-in hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 11:00am, 1:00pm - 3:00pm

  • Oceanside- Coastal Service Center

    4700 North River Road, Oceanside, CA 92057; (760) 721-2117

    Walk-in hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 11:00 am (closed first Friday of the month)

  • Carlsbad Service Center

    5731 Palmer Way, Suite A, Carlsbad, CA 92010; (760) 448-5696

    Walk-in hours: Tuesday - Thursday, 1:00pm - 3:00pm

• Treat people with kindness and respect - as Tom discusses in the episode, some people’s ridicule of homeless people can make life more difficult than it already is, and “after a whole day of this, it’s hard going to bed at night thinking how you have to do it all again.” A little kindness, especially towards someone who is receives a lot of judgement, can go a long way.

Tears, Laughter, and Everything it Takes to Escape Homelessness

On this episode of ‘Homeless in San Diego: Real People, Real Stories,’ host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, is joined by two coworkers; Daniel Sturman, Shelter Intake Specialist, and Anna Mades, Social Worker - Homeless Outreach Team OPD (Oceanside Police Department).

Greg, Shawn, Anna, and Daniel in the podcast studio.

Daniel and Anna also introduce Shawn, who up until two months ago was experiencing homelessness for 15 years. Shawn shares her journey, the trials and tribulations she had to overcome, while Daniel and Anna discuss how they met Shawn, the 'choice words' they sometimes have to deal with in their line of work, and ultimately the strength they see within people like Shawn who are the reason they do what they do. They laugh, they cry, they get real - so our listeners have the opportunity to truly understand homelessness.

Calls to Action:

• Donate to Interfaith Community Services to help more people like Shawn escape homelessness - Sometimes we encounter individuals who appear homeless and do not give because they may use it inappropriately. Daniel wishes to challenge people to take that sense of fear of giving and find solace in knowing that a donation to Interfaith is guaranteed to be used effectively and will change lives for the better.

  • Contribute to Offering Hope in Housing - make a monetary gift to benefit Interfaith by clicking here or mail your contribution to 550 W. Washington Ave., Escondido, CA 92025

  • Donate to Make It A Home - provide the dignity of a comfortable home for those we house by donating lightly used furniture and new household items. For questions or to schedule a pick-up or drop-off, please call 760-489-6380 ext. 206.

  • Donate warm blankets and jackets, for those in Interfaith’s Haven House Shelter and directly to Oceanside HOT and other homeless outreach teams

• Try not to judge people by what you see and instead offer someone in need the resources that can help them escape homelessness:

  • Oceanside Police Department Homeless Outreach Team: 760-435-4418, 307 N Nevada Street, Oceanside, CA

  • Daniel’s Walk-in Screenings are on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 8:00am - 10:00am at 550 W. Washington Ave., Escondido, CA 92025

  • Interfaith Community Services: 760-489-6380

Bonus Episode: Ellis Overcomes Homelessness

On this bonus episode of 'Homeless in San Diego: Real People, Real Stories,' host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, invites Ellis Rose back to the podcast to finish sharing his story. When we left off, Ellis was sleeping on the street on the coldest night of the year. The two discuss the extreme difficulties faced by those attempting to overcome homelessness, and Ellis shares how he was able to finally find his way off the streets, once and for all.

Calls to Action:

• As Greg and Ellis discuss, often lost in the representation of the homeless, are those voices who are actually experiencing it. You can make a difference by contacting the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors to encourage the formation of an Advisory Committee to represent those voices.

  • City of San Diego

    • Contact the City: 619-533-4000

    • Contact your elected official; a list of contact information can be found by clicking here

  • County Board of Supervisors

    • District 1 - Supervisor Greg Cox: 619-531-5511, greg.cox@sdcounty.ca.gov

    • District 2 - Supervisor Dianne Jacob: 619-531-5522, dianne.jacob@sdcounty.ca.gov

    • District 3 - Supervisor Kristen Gaspar: 619-531-5533, kristin.gaspar@sdcounty.ca.gov

    • District 4 - Supervisor Nathan Fletcher: 619-531-5544, nathan.fletcher@sdcounty.ca.gov

    • District 5 - Supervisor Jim Desmond: jim.desmond@sdcounty.ca.gov

How You End Up Homeless: Ellis' Story

Ellis Rose

On this episode of 'Homeless in San Diego: Real People, Real Stories,' host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes Ellis Rose, who holds the ‘Homeless/ Formerly Homeless’ board seat on San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless. As a fellow board member (Greg holds the ‘Homeless Service Provider - North Coastal’ board seat), the two discuss the realities around what’s being done about the big issue - and what’s not, that should be.

Ellis shares his story of how he ended up facing homelessness, and the life circumstances that led him from being a homeowner, to living in his car, to eventually his worst fear- sleeping on the streets.

Calls to Action:

• Sign up to be a volunteer for WeAllCount - the San Diego Point-in-Time-Count, which is a federally mandated census of homeless persons - taking place throughout San Diego County January 25-27, 2019. You will join more than 1,600 other volunteers to help make an impact on homelessness in San Diego. To register and for more information, click here