Homeless in San Diego

Isaac came through Interfaith twice, and has now been sober for over 20 months (longest duration in over 20 years). In his own words, "the biggest turning point was deciding to stay sober no matter what was going on , and realizing I did not have to be miserable the rest of life. Seeing my own strength. Taking the first step was hard and then once you hit a stride ,  nothing stops you. Interfaith...

Gary Warth, journalist with the San Diego Union Tribune and San Diego resident since the 1970's, brings years of storytelling centering homelessness throughout the region, and a variety of beats since 1989. One of the stories Gary shared in our conversation was his recent coverage of Dr. Gregg Colburn's recent book, Homelessness is a Housing Problem. You can read Gary's July 2022 article about hom...

Mei inspires all of us at Interfaith.  In Mei's own words, she "suffered bouts of homelessness throughout her life and has managed to obtain secure housing and push forward through many years of trauma since childhood. " In 2020, Mei opened  Daydream , a gift shop located on Grand Avenue in Downtown Escondido, and launched a separate line selling her handmade  "Humanitote " bags. For every bag sol...

Monique is resilient. She is a mother of eight, has many years' experience serving as site supervisors for children's centers, and the tables turned when her husband became disabled and the birth of a baby left the family without income. Over 10 years ago, Interfaith helped pay for rent, and steered her toward educational options. Monique shares with us her turbulent journey overcoming homelessnes...

Join us in listening to Josh's inspiring personal and professional journey in this podcast and at our upcoming Change Your Mind Mental Health Expo on September 10th. Born and raised in South Africa, Josh's extensive travels include ventures deep into the state of mind called bipolar type 1. Josh combines his lived mental health experience with his education in psychology (BA from the University of...

Lynn Solorzano , Founder and President of Ashley's Hope.  Lynn started this non-profit in memory of her daughter, Ashley.  Ashley was only 25 and homeless.  She passed away after 8 years living on the streets of San Diego.  The mission of Ashley's Hope is to provide people struggling with homeless-related issues dignity, respect and most importantly, hope.  Lynn is providing all Interfaith locatio...

Randy and his wife were living off of social security, in an unsafe housing situation, and on the verge of eviction.  In 2021, Interfaith Community Services connected with them via our Home Safe Program, a homelessness prevention program for Seniors in our community. When asked why Randy chose to be a guest on our podcast, he shared "I was in a situation for a year when I saw no way out.  I did no...

Joining us for this two-part podcast series, Levi Giafaglione reflects on his journey overcoming homelessness, his experience working in social services agency and exploring land investments.  Levi invites us to consider how each of us can be change makers. If you have not already, tune into the previous podcast for a series you won't want to miss!

Meet Levi Giafaglione. Three years ago he started listening to our podcast and set a goal of one day being a guest and sharing his own experiences and reflections on overcoming homelessness. Levi has now made that goal a reality, and we are proud to be able to share his personal story and the various challenges he faced while living in "survival mode". Tune in to hear about Levi's struggles with h...

Join us for an invaluable conversation discussing homelessness and giv4, an initiative of the Jewish Community Foundation San Diego and twelve curated local nonprofits confronting homelessness in San Diego.  The goal of giv4 is to learn about homelessness, the affordable housing crisis and different solutions in San Diego County.  Two of the twelve organizations receiving funding from this collect...

Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, along with Interfaith colleague Shira Jacobs, welcome you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is Vanessa. A few years ago, Vanessa lived in her car and lost her three children while she battled addiction. In her own healing process, she started a non-profit program, Oceanside Homeless Resource, now also called "Love on the groun...

Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is John Brady and Levi who share a bit about their lived unsheltered experiences and their strong recommendation for San Diego community members supporting people-centered solutions including Safe Villages.  There is growing discussion in San Diego around the need to create safe v...

Please join us in listening to our inspiring conversation with David Baker and Justin Lipford.  David serves as the Program Director for Housing Our Youth at the YMCA of San Diego County. David has previously been a guest on our podcast ( March and April 2019 ), sharing his personal journey experiencing generational homelessness and inspiring others to elevate their voices for change .  David's ad...

John Brady and Bruce, San Diego Homeless-Experienced Advocacy and Leadership (HEAL) Network members, joined us in conversation addressing myths, the importance of move-in ready housing with integrated services, financial accountability and system improvements are integral for success in supporting our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Learn more about John's initiative Lived Advisors , People w...

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is Ross. Prior to connecting with Interfaith, Ross shares, "My life was in shambles. Interfaith saved my life. I am now on the right path with sobriety, purpose, and a whole new outlook on life. Everyone needs help. You can't do it on your own."

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is Hugh. Hugh joined us to share his reflections on working with Interfaith. "They Listen. Ask questions. Asking for help is the hardest, but they kept on reminding me that I have a purpose. Life keeps getting better."

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is Beverly. Her story highlights the shortage of shelter beds in San Diego County, the reality that many people experiencing homelessness are employed, and the positive impact of our Homeless Outreach Team.  "Thanks to Interfaith and all the people who really backed me up and...

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is Jen Halverson, Behavioral Health Clinician at Interfaith. Jen shares important information about factors that may contribute to people becoming homeless, ways to support our neighbors experiencing homelessness, and integral advice for self-care and supporting our neighbors...

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is Linda.  After becoming homeless, Linda was forced to stay in hotels for months while she worked on securing housing for her partner and two kids. Linda eventually found a place, but in order to afford it, she had to secure a loan which quickly exhausted her savings and had...

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is Kim Nye, Senior Services Case Manager. Kim works with seniors in need at Interfaith by providing them with resources to live healthy, safe and thriving lives. She shares, "it's surprising how many seniors we have struggling with homelessness, the amount of income they have...

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is Kenan Pala. Kenan is the CEO and founder of Kids4Community. His primary goal was to encourage other children his age and younger to get involved with their communities. Now, he's on his way to earn his undergraduate degree and we had a chance to catch up with the young sup...

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is Mauro Alvarez. Mauro is a local artist and now the visionary behind the largest mural in Escondido titled "Journey to Healing." This mural will live on as a symbol of recovery for all those who will begin transforming their lives at the Abraham and Lillian Turk Recuperativ...

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast. Joining us today is Brenda Mitchell. Brenda redefines the words strength and community leader.  She "can't sit back feeling sorry for herself, but instead, is hearing a call to action" with the hopes that no one feels her heartbreak. Listen and learn more about Brenda's beloved son, Andrew, a...

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast Season Two: "Homebound." Joining us today is Richard. Richard lived on the streets for 25 long years. Now, Richard's been housed for over 10 years. He enjoys cooking at home and working on his art. Even more incredibly, he opens his home to other people experiencing homelessness.

Host Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, welcomes you to the Homeless in San Diego Podcast Season Two: "Homebound." Joining us today is Phyllis and Peggy Peattie. Phyllis is a Dental Hygienist with lived-experience in San Diego for a decade. Peggy is an independent photojournalist, documenting the stories of homeless populations and teaching visual journalism at SDSU and UCSD. Get r...