Ending Homelessness: What is to Be Done

How is it that despite years of well-meaning and thoughtful efforts by volunteers working on homelessness, housing insecurity and homelessness seems to not be improving much in many communities. Matthew Schneider joins the podcast to discuss this and much more in a conversation centered around his 2026 book "Serving the Street: Volunteering as Charity, Racial Justice, and Poverty Tourism". Set in...

The conversation explores the vital role of pets for unhoused individuals and the challenges they face in accessing shelter due to pet ownership. Nicholas Weinmeisterter from the University of Southern California Homelessness Policy Research Institute and Christine Kim from the My Dog is My Home federal nonprofit join the podast for a discussion on the impact of pets on the lives of homeless indiv...

Our discussion analyzes New York City's "right to shelter" and argues for a need to move to a "right to housing" instead. Impacts from the right to shelter such as a massive sheltering industry with large numbers of people living in shelters and doubled up in the city with years long waits to move into housing are explored. Housing vouchers, affordability crises, the impact of wages and housing co...

The conversation with David Peery from the Florida Coalition to Advance Racial Equity explores systemic inequities and homelessness. The fight for racial equality, the impact of the Pottinger v. City of Miami case, the intersection of racism, poverty, and homelessness, historical context of racial inequities, the impact of structural racism on homelessness, the role of racism in driving homelessne...

Nicholas Pleace from York University in the UK, the European Observatory on Homelessness and the European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) joints the podcast. The challenges, possibilities, and complexities of addressing homelessness, exploring the impact of political will, capitalism, and social housing and the importance of international collaborations and...

This in the first in a planned series of discussions between Vin Lyon-Callo and Rob Robinson. The conversation explores the different experiences of a former shelter staff member and formerly homeless person to both come to understand the systemic nature of homelessness. Challenging dominant narratives and common sense is represented as essential to begin building the efforts needed to change the...

Dr. Deyanira Nevarez-Martinez from MIchigan State University discusses her journey into urban planning and housing research, addressing issues of housing precarity, informality, Latinx housing insecurities, racial segregation, and the criminalization of poverty. The discussion also explores the challenges of community engagement and collaboration in ethnographic research. The complexities of homel...

The widespread homelessness that we see in Canada and the US today was created by social policies and human practices influenced by neoliberal logics since the 1990s in both nations promoting individualization, marketization, and privatization. Our discussion emphasizes that acknowledging that gives the hope that a different world without homelessness can also be produced. Dr. Erin Dej joins the p...

The state of Indiana passed a law criminalizing unhoused people "camping" in public in 2026. This legislative effort was the impetus for our discussion. The conversation explores the challenges of homelessness in Indianapolis, focusing on the city's growth, income inequality, the ease of evictions in the state, and the impact of private equity firms buying much rental housing. It also explores the...

The conversation builds upon Dr. Gong's ethnographic research on mental health care across economic classes and homelessness in Los Angeles. The discussion explores the intersection of mental health and homelessness, critiquing homelessness policies, critically analyzing housing first and alternative models, comparing mental health care across classes, and understanding mental illness and treatmen...

The conversation focuses on Dr. Przybylinski's book to explore themes of injustice of housing as private property and the limits of liberalism in the context of homelessness and housing insecurity. Dr. Przybylinski's work on homeless encampments in Portland, Oregon is highlighted as well as ongoing issues around homelessness in mid-Michigan, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of the book's...

Josh Spring from the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition joins the discussion. We explore the challenges of homelessness, housing insecurity, economic inequalities, and racial disparities in Cincinnati, Ohio. Homeless students, systemic violence, and political leadership beholden to the corporate elites in the community are discussed. The conversation also highlights the need for affordable hous...

The conversation covers the topics of state-subsidized affordable housing as a cornerstone in Finland's approach to homelessness, the Housing First model and its systemic change, housing solutions and support, community and social cohesion, challenges and misconceptions, and the work on homelessness and Housing First. The discussion provides insights into the unique approach taken by Finland and t...

The discussion explored challenges faced by the tourist based economy of the Myrtle Beach community, focusing on homelessness, employment, housing affordability, and structural inequality. Low wages, costly housing, troubling shelter practIces, and the criminalization and policing of poor people illuminates the need for structural change to address these issues. Over a decade of community-based re...

The conversation explores Indigenous homelessness, the complexity of home, housing insecurity in the Arctic North and the possibilities of recreating community and connection. Dr. Julia Christensen draws upon her years of research in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Greenland, and Alaska to describe the impacts of colonialism on land dispossession and loss of sovereignty, cultural imposition an...

The conversation delves into the rise of homeless encampments in the US, the work of Dr. Jesse Speer, the broader contexts of homelessness, and the challenges faced by homeless individuals. It highlights the need for a more comprehensive and compassionate approach to address these pressing issues. The conversation delves into the impact of urban revitalization efforts and gentrification on homeles...

The discussion covers the criminalization of homelessness, the formation of mass encampments, the impact of policies on homelessness, the role of Housing First, racisms contributions to homelessness and criminalization efforts, and the policing of poor people. It also delves into the societal perception of homelessness and the need for affordable housing. The conversation covers the intersection o...

The conversation today delves into the complex issue of LGBTQ youth homelessness, exploring systemic causes, the impact of poverty, race, and class, and the role of family dynamics with Dr. Brandon Robinson (University of California, Riverside). Brandon Robinson is the author of the important book "Coming Out to the Streets: LGBTQ Youth Experiencing Homelessness". https://www.ucpress.edu/books/com...

Dr. Sparks is the guest today. Dr. Sparks is associate professor of urban studies and planning at San Francisco State University and author of the book Tent City, Seattle: Refusing Homelessness and Making a Home. https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295752617/tent-city-seattle/ The conversation today explores the themes of community governance, the challenges of collective living, and the importance o...

In this initial episode, the host Vin Lyon-Callo lays out the rationale and plan for the podcast. A goal is a return to a focus on ending homelessness. Through dialogues and discussions with academics, advocates, and activists the hope is to learn from decades of important insights gained on what has not worked, to challenge dominant stereotypes about homeless people with facts, and to suggest alt...