#01 - An Unhoused Member on the American Unhoused Crisis

How should we treat the unhoused population in our country? It’s January 2022, and Americans are divided. My guest today is Theo Henderson, who lives in Los Angeles, California and is a member of the unhoused community. Born in Chicago, Theo earned a scholarship to a local private college and received his undergraduate degree in education. During the 2008 recession, he was working as a schoolteacher in South Los Angeles until his own financial crisis hit: He lost his job, and health issues from diabetes saddled him with medical debt. After being evicted from his apartment in 2013, he first moved into his car until he could no longer afford to keep it. He’s been unhoused ever since. As a result, he started “We the Unhoused”, a podcast that interviews, lifts the voices, and highlights the struggles of the unhoused community in Los Angeles and beyond. His work has been featured in media outlets like the BBC, Los Angeles Times, Vice, Curbed, and more. In this episode we discuss why Theo advocates to use the term “unhoused” instead of homeless, if there’s a correlation between being unhoused and abusing drugs, whether unhoused street sweeps across American cities are justified, the recommended approach to help an unhoused member you may encounter, and more. Whether you agree or disagree with today’s guest, I invite you to join with an open mind as we work to heal the division on the unhoused crisis in America.
GUEST INFORMATION
We the Unhoused Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wetheunhoused
We the Unhoused Website: https://www.wetheunhoused.com/
Teodore Henderson: https://www.instagram.com/thhheohenderson/